Blessed are the Geek

think it all started on December 8, 1980. While Mark DavidChapman fired four bullets into John Lennon in the entranceway to the Dakota Apartments, I was being fitted for my first

pair of glasses. That night I had the first of what became arecurring nightmare. I’m in the cafeteria waiting in the lunch line.If’s 11:30 A.M. on a Tuesday. I know this because I look at the clockthat hangs above the sign that reads, “Today’s Special - SloppyJoes.” I’m wearing knit pants with a matching brown vest and aturtleneck. The older, okay-looking football player standing behindme says, “Guys don’t make passes at girls who wear glasses.”Without turning to look at him, I take my lunch tray from the heavy-set woman with purple hair and sit down by myself. Then the namecalling starts, “Hey four eyes! Metal mouth! Did your mommy dressyou this morning?” I open my mouth to say something but only endup spitting out partially chewed sloppy joe. Suddenly I can’t breathe,and my jaw feels wired shut. The cafeteria erupts in laughter. I wakeup gasping and coughing. That was when it began. That waswhen I realized I was a nerd.

When I reached high school, I tried to hide my true nerd self.I played varsity soccer and tennis. I was a member of the stu-dent government. I wore preppy clothes and even, gasp,permed my hair. My braces came off, and my parents finally letme get contacts. I fit in so well that the anti-social club didn’task me to be a member. But that lasted only a year — and thenI met some people who were just like me — and we were tiredof hiding. I cut my hair, I wore pieces of brown packaging tapeon my jeans, and my friends and I printed T-shirts that read“Misfits of Society.” We wore them with pride.

In college, my friends and I organized all-day gaming ses-sions of the AD&D® game or Chaosium’sCall Of Cthulhu. During summer breakwe drove to Teri Andre State Parkand played war games in the

sand dunes, complete with water balloons as our weapons. Wewatched Star Trek: The Next Generation religiously. The comicbook shop became a hangout, and we openly admitted to lik-ing the film version of Dune. We were not afraid.

I need no longer be uneasy with my geekdom; the geek isnow a pop culture icon. About a month ago, the local papereven ran an article about the fashionability of geeks. It’s “cool”to look “uncool,” and we’re scoring big all over the place. If youdon’t believe me, just look around you. Cable television nowhas a channel devoted to nothing but science fiction. You canwatch four variations of the Star Trek series. TheX-Files is one ofthe most popular shows in the country. Forrest Gump was oneof the highest grossing films of 1994. Nerdy pocket protectorshave evolved into fanny packs. Wearing glasses is trendy. Theultimate geek anthem, Gary Numan’s “Cars,” has matured into“He Thought of Cars” by Blur. And last August, 30,000 of usdescended upon Milwaukee for four days of fun, fantasy, andscience fiction.

I now have a different recurring dream. I’m walking down anaisle in a crowded auditorium wearing hush puppies, brown cor-duroy trousers, and an argyle sweater. I work my way up to the stageand stand in front of the podium. I lean in toward the microphonebefore me and I say “Hi, my name is Michelle, and I’m a geek.” Thecrowd stands and applauds.

PublisherTSR, Inc.

EditorDave Gross

Associate PublisherBrian Thomsen

Associate editorMichelle Vuckovich

Editor-in-ChiefPierce Watters

SubscriptionsJanet L. Winters

EditorAnthony J. Bryant

U.S. advertisingCindy Rick

Art directorLarry W. Smith

U.K. correspondent/advertisingCarolyn Wildman

Printed in the USA

D R A G O N #229 3

Steve BermanIt’s finders keepers for mages whospecialize in divining and dousing.

TheRhabdomancer

Page 12

Magic MiscibilityJames CollierSo you’ve got all this magic.What can go wrong?

Page 8

Illusions of GrandeurRogers CadenheadHear Emil Duli Wonk tell you what youreally need to know for your PC illusionists.

Page 20

CursesEd Rice

When you want to do your very worst. . .

Page 28

A Wizards’ ThreeChris PerryThree new mages: frost wizards, fiendslayers, and spiritualists.

Page 40

TheDimensional

WizardBarry A.A. Dillinger

A new kit for wizards specializing indimensions and planar travel.

Page 50

Survival of the SmartestLloyd Brown IIIHeed your instructor and keep those 1st-level mages alive. Page 66

MAY 1996

D e p a r t m e n t sBazaar of the Bizarre:The Magic of IndiaMichael SelinkerMagical items from the India of songand legend.Page 33

Rogue’s Gallery: TylkSkip Williams

Meet Til-Kyrmeldur ap Puirdoch, Tylk tohis friends. This half-elven druid/ranger

believes in the goodness of all.Page 47

Columns3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Wyrm’s Turn

Geeks of the world, unite. We have nothing tolose but our pocket protectors.

6 . . . . . . . . . . D-MailReader’s letters on our new look, Krynn, andToril.

61 . . . . . . . . . . . Role of BooksJohn C. Bunnell reads the newest novels.

89 . . . . . . . . . Sage adviceSkip Williams answers questions on spell work-ing and some optional rules.

93 . . . . . . . . . Cons & ProsWe let you know where the conventions are and who’s going to be there.

95 . . . . . . . . . RPGA® Network NewsNetwork coordinator Scott Douglas presents a few of his 297 Rules of Convention Attendance.

97 . . . . . . . . . ForumLetters this month contain advice for DMs andplayers, as well as a discussion on women ingaming.

108 . . . . . . . . . . Role-playing ReviewsRick Swan takes a virtual vacation.

120 . . . . . . . . . The Current ClackAllen Varney talks about the industry.

Campaign Classics:The Wu JenDave “Zeb” CookThe powerful mage from the Oriental Adventuresgets a facelift for 2nd Edition.Page 54

Dungeon Mastery:“A” is for NPC

Keith StrohmTips on making a Grade-A NPC

Page 85

Magic Doesn’tAlways Go “Boom”Christopher BylerNot all magic has to be flashy.

Page 72

Other Material9 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . Knights of the Dinner Table1 0 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DragonMirth1 0 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gamer’s Guide1 0 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Floyd

1 1 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TSR Previews

76 The Taking of MountNevermind(DragonLance®: Tales of the Fifth Age)David WisePyrothraxus the Great, a mighty red dragon, claimshis new home. There’s just one tiny problem.

DRAGON #229 5

More on the new lookDear DRAGON® Magazine:

I haven’t opened a current issue ofDRAGON Magazine for the last three years,since I let my subscription run out. Forsome reason, the articles ceased to berelevant to me and my campaigns. Inoticed the January (#225) and February(#226) issues on a bookstore rack andthe new format captured my curiosity. Ipurchased both issues and promptlybegan perusing the articles.

I must commend you for your effortsin revamping the magazine — they havereally paid off.

The format and layout of the maga-zine are much friendlier and — moreimportantly — the articles are better.There is a definite sense of purpose anddirection in the articles and in thethemes of both issues, two qualities I feltwere lacking three years ago. Therewere an unprecedented six articlesbetween the two issues that were well-presented and actually useful, wellabove the traditional one article perissue that I am used to. If you continueturning out magazines as worthwhile asissues #225 and #226, you will winback an old subscriber. I hope that youare successful.

For your information, the articles thatI found noteworthy were “Secret Originsand Motivations of Player Characters,”“I’m Okay, You’re One-Dimensional,”“Dungeon Mastery: What to Do WhenYour Party Wants to Split Up,” “The

DRAGON® Magazine (ISSN 0279-6848) is published monthly by TSR, Inc.,201 Sheridan Springs Road, Lake Geneva, WI 53147, United States ofAmerica. The postal address for all materials from the United States ofAmerica and Canada except subscription orders is: DRAGON® Magazine,201 Sheridan Springs Road, Lake Geneva, WI 53147, U.S.A.; telephone(414) 248-3625, fax (414) 248-0389. The postal address for materialsfrom Europe is: DRAGON Magazine, TSR Ltd, 120 Church End, CherryHinton, Cambridge CB1 3LB, United Kingdom; telephone (0223) 212517(U.K.), 44-223-212517 (international), telex 818761, fax (0223) 248066(U.K.), 414-223-238066 (international).

Distribution: DRAGON Magazine is available from game and hobbyshops throughout the United States, Canada. the United Kingdom, andthrough a limited number of other overseas outlets. Distribution to thebook trade in the United States is by Random House, Inc., and in Canada

Magic Goes Away,” “Off-the-Cuff NPCs,”and “Improve with Improv.”

David L. KinneyChicago, IL

Dear DRAGON Magazine:I have not read DRAGON Magazine with

any regularity since 1989. I picked upissue #225 (January) with a little hesita-tion, but I heard the magazine wasregrouping, and I thought I would give ita try. I was not disappointed.

The reason I hadn’t bought a DRAGON

Magazine in so long is that it had noth-ing to offer me as a DM or a player. Inissue #225, however, I will be able touse almost every article in some way(except for the PLAYER’S OPTION™ rules).

I have, however, one strong criticism.I do not like polybagged magazines.Considering DRAGON Magazine has notbeen useful to me for seven years, Iquestioned buying #225. I don’t likebuying products sight unseen. AlthoughI am filled with hope for DRAGON

Magazine’s future, I will pay $4.95 for apolybagged magazine only to find it isof no use to me once or twice before Istop buying it altogether.

Ed May

Dear DRAGON Magazine:As a player of DUNGEONS & DRAGONS®

for over 15 years, I had to write and com-ment on your recent changes. “Rogue’sGallery” goes back to your old “Giants inthe Earth” series. You change, but stillkeep basics the same. I was also pleasedto see “Campaign Classics.” I am — andwill always be � a GREYHAWK® player. Ialso fell in love with the combinedSF/Fantasy aspect of spelljamming. Forall of us long-playing, hard-core adven-turers who grew up in the alley-ways ofGreyhawk City and one day made it tothe stars on an elven man-o-war, I thankyou.

Larry W. CofferenAbilene, TX

Thanks for the kind words, guys. Yourchecks are in the mail. It’s really satisfying toknow that people appreciate the final prod-

by Random House of Canada, Ltd. Distribution to the book trade in theUnited Kingdom is by TSR Ltd. Send orders to: Random House, Inc., OrderEntry Department, Westminster MD 21157, U.S.A.; telephone: (800) 733-3000. Newsstand distribution throughout the United Kingdom is byComag Magazine Marketing, Tavistock Road, West Drayton, MiddlesexUB7 7QE, United Kingdom; telephone: 0895-444055.

Subscription: Subscription rates via second-class mail are as follows:$42 in U.S. funds for 12 issues sent to an address in the U.S.; $49 in U.S.funds for 12 issues sent to an address in Canada; £36 for 12 issues sentto an address within the United Kingdom; £49 for 12 issues sent to anaddress in Europe; $65 in U.S. funds for 12 issues sent by surface mail toany other address, or $119 in U.S. funds for 12 issues sent air mail to anyother address. Payment in full must accompany all subscription orders.Methods of payment include checks or money orders made payable to

uct. We’re hoping to continue to make iteven better in the coming months.

Soth is back on Krynn?Dear DRAGON Magazine:

In the novel Dragons of SummerFlame, Lord Soth makes an appearance.In the novel Knight of the Black Rose, LordSoth is supposedly drawn into the landof Ravenloft. How could he be in both?I’m asking because I run a RAVENLOFT®campaign and my brother runs aDRAGONLANCE® campaign, and we can’tfigure out which one Soth belongs to.

Oh... in the short story “Kindling”(issue #225), who was the red dragon,and where does she come from?

David AldenPalmdale, CA

Reread Dragons carefully. Lord Sothhimself is not seen on Krynn. He is rumoredto be there, reported to be leading his legionof undead knights. Don’t trust rumors. Sothis the dark lord of Sithicus, and dark lordscan’t leave their realms. So unless you havesome phenomenal planar shift that alters allsorts of realities (which, granted, the Chaosgod may have created), Soth is stuck inDemiplane of Dread for the present time.Your brother’s out of luck.

The red dragon in Jean Rabe’s story wasMalystrix, Malys to her friends. As to exactlywho she is, where she comes from, andwhat her arrival means to Ansalon. . . you’llhave to wait and see.

The good, the bad,and the ugly

Dear DRAGON Magazine:Congratulations on the revamp; it’s

definitely a smoother and slicker pack-age. The polybag is no doubt a benefitfor subscribers and allows the occa-sional freebie, so no objections here. Onthe other hand, the new logo resemblessome sort of grotesque blob falling fromthe sky. Oh, good call on reproducingthe cover art sans copy!

As for the interior, I’m pleased with

TSR, Inc., or charges to valid MasterCard or VISA credit cards; sendsubscription orders with payments to TSR, Inc., P.O. Box 5695, Boston MA02206, U.S.A. In the United Kingdom, methods of payment includecheques or money orders made payable to TSR Ltd., or charges to a validACCESS or VISA credit card; send subscription orders with payments toTSR Ltd., as per that address above. Prices are subject to change withoutprior notice. The issue expiration of each subscription is printed on themailing label of each subscriber’s copy of the magazine. Changes ofaddress for the delivery of subscription copies must be received at leastsix weeks prior to the effective date of the change in order to assureuninterrupted delivery.

Submissions: All material published in DRAGON Magazine becomes theexclusive property of the publisher, unless special arrangements to thecontrary are made prior to publication. DRAGON Magazine welcomes unso-

6 MAY 1996

the attention to discontinued worlds (anecessity, since no new releases supportthese treasured campaigns), but so farall we’ve seen is spellbooks (enoughalready!) and spells. Let’s see new back-grounds, encounters, and even somemonsters.

A true “return to DRAGON Magazine’sroots” should include lots of alternateclasses for PCs and NPCs, adventuringlocales from commonplace to exotic,and background material.

Industry news and RPGA® NetworkNews are fine, informative additions.

I have one more minor complaint.Sometimes it seems every article has tobegin with a cute scenario or planartraveling informant. It is high time forthe editor to wield his power anddeclare these seemingly ceaseless intro-ductions to be welcome no longer.

Mark WadeSalt Lake City, UT

Thanks, Mark. Your comments arenoted, although you may want to look at“Campaign Classics” again. So far we’vehad spellbooks (January), magical sands(February), and a revisited wizard kit (May).That’s hardly all spellbooks and spells.Future installments of “Campaign Classics”will feature all you have suggested andmore. Keep reading.

What about the restof Faerûn?

Dear DRAGON Magazine:I recently acquired Wizards and

Rogues of the Realms and Warriors andPriests of the Realms. I am, as always,pleased by the quality. I added them tomy ever-growing collection of FORGOTTENREALMS® material. I am starting to growdisappointed, however, in the one-sidedview of the materials that are being pro-

duced. I have all published materialavailable for the Realms, includingMaztica, The Horde, and Kara-Tur. I findthese as interesting (if not more so) aswestern Faerûn. I think it is safe to saythat almost 90% of the materials detailthis one region. Are there any projects inthe works to include these fascinatingareas? The two aforementioned pur-chases would have been true treasuresif they had included even a token sec-tion for those three areas.

Thanks for the outstanding productsthat TSR consistently puts out, butplease in the future try to remember theadventurers who would like to explorethe other 75% of Faerûn.

Michael BrockNiantic, CT

I agree with you 100%. I would like to seemore submissions for the magazine on otheraspects of the Realms, as well. Writers?

Thedealerissue #ber is4877.

How to contact uslf you have a comment, opinion, or ques-

tion for the editors of DRAGON® Magazine,write us a letter. We’d like to hear from you.

In the United States and Canada, send anymail to Letters to the Editor, DRAGONMagazine, 201 Sheridan Springs Road, LakeGeneva, WI 53147 USA. In Europe, send mailto Letters DRAGON Magazine, TSR Ltd., 120Church End, Cherry Hinton, Cambridge CB13LB, United Kingdom.

Correctiontelephone number to find a TSRnear you which was printed in227 is incorrect. The actual num-1-800-384-4TSR, or 1-800-384-

On the Cover

Over the past couple of years,cover artist Dan Frazier has beenquick to let me know that he’snot happy with me when I referto him as a “dwarf artist.” This isnot to say that Dan is very short(although he’ll never play probasketball), but rather that I’m particularly fond of his renderingsof them. He hasn’t done anythinghere to change my perception.

Dan has the ability to getm o r e p e r s o n a l i t y i n t o h i sdwarves than just about anyone Iknow, and, as long as he keepssending them to me, I’ll probablykeep publishing them.

Dan has been keeping himselfbusy painting for the collectible card market and is currently working on several for theSPELLFIRE™ card game.

You can also send e-mail to tsrmags@genie.com.

Notice:The ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® TRIVIATHLON™: The Arcane

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Advertising: For information on placing advertisements in DRAGON reserved, and nothing may be reproduced from it in whole or in partMagazine, ask for our rate card. All ads are subject to approval by TSR, without first obtaining permission in writing from the publisher. MaterialInc. TSR reserves the right to reject any ad for any reason. In the United published in DRAGON® Magazine does not necessarily reflect the opinions

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©1995 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All TSR characters, characternames, and the distinctve likenesses thereof are trademarks ownedby TSR, Inc.

Second-class postage paid at Lake Geneva, Wis., U.S.A., and additionalmailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to DRAGON Magazine,TSR, Inc., 201 Sheridan Springs Road, Lake Geneva WI 53147, U.S.A.USPS 318-790, ISSN 0279-6848.

DRAGON #229 7

by James R. Collierillustrated by David Horne

Mixing magical items can be bad for your health. . .ack in the original AD&D® game, a rule stated, “Onlytwo magical rings can be worn at any one time.” Thisrule was designed to preserve game balance. Although

only rings were mentioned in the rule, this rule may have beena precedent. The game has always had a lot of magical rings,and back when that rule was made, the list of other magicalitems was much shorter. Today, there are four volumes ofamulets, bracers, cloaks, diadems, eyes, footwear, and girdles

all of which can apparently be worn and used at the sametime.

Interestingly, the rule limiting usage of rings was accompa-nied by a second rule, this time for potions, concerning misci-bility. This rule stated that if you activated the magic of twopotions at once, bad things might occur. This, too, set a prece-dent. We now had two rules aimed specifically at preventingplayer characters from activating several magical items atonce. All that is left is the final step.

If we expand these rules to cover all magical items, we cantake a step toward ending the Monty Haul campaign, not tomention restoring the game to a contest of wits, instead of a“which item should I use now?” competition.

DMs, please note that these tables were meant for two pur-poses. On one hand, they penalize PCs who collect and try touse too much magic, but they do it in such a way as to providesome humor and role-playing possibilities. Do not use them asplayer-killers, having a PC grab a dead fish when a vampirestrikes. Don’t use them as rewards, either, or ways to get rid ofcursed items. Even the most benign effect should have draw-backs.Miscibility rules

The rules are fairly simple. Here are two tables,

a ring, amulet, girdle, or other device (as opposed to merelycarrying in a pouch or backpack); drinking a potion; rubbing onan oil, perfume, salve, or ointment; or activating a rod, staff orwand.

Whenever a player character has more than two constantitems active at once (that is, devices that do not have a speci-fied duration), the player (or DM) must roll a d100 on Table 1:Continuous Conditions. Thereafter, every time a new item isput on or activated, the previously rolled condition is discardedand a new one is determined.

Whenever the PC is already acting under two or more mag-ical effects and commands a charged item to function, drinks apotion, or employs a one-shot magical device for a furthermagical effect, a roll is made on Table 2: Temporary Conditions.The conditions from this table last only as long as the durationof the potion, dust, etc., and can be dispelled, although with a50% chance of dispelling the magic of the potion, dust, or what-ever as well.

There are several important modifiers and exceptions thatmust be noted.

For every active item over three, a cumulative -5% penaltyis imposed. (This modifier does not apply to rolls on Table 2.)

Items that do not affect the owner, such as a wand of fire ora necklace of missiles, do not require rolls. Spells cast upon some-one wearing multiple magical items do not require a roll to bemade unless these spells cause some permanent enchantment.(It is up to the DM to determine what he considers appropriate.)If so, roll on Table 2, and if the roll indicates non-function, theenchantment is dispelled before it can even take effect.

Priestly items such as phylacteries of faithfulness do not counttoward rolls, but they should function only with other priestly

items dedicated to the same faith. In addition,used whenever a PC “activates” more than twomagical effects. This can be done by wearing

priestly items should function only withaligned weapons and devices that match

DRAGON #229 9

their own alignments exactly. A mace ofdisruption owned by a PC who picks up alawful good sword +1 becomes merelyan enchanted mace, magical but impart-ing no bonuses to attacks or damage, (amace +0) until the sword is discarded,while the sword will also seem to benon-magical in combat. (It is up to theDM to decide if the sword and mace arestill at least “magical” for purposes ofstriking special creatures.) For thesecharts, healing potions, salves, and heal-ing devices other than rings of regenera-tion are considered priestly items.

Field effect items, such as a ring of pro-tection (which gives a +1 save bonus toeveryone within 5’), cause everyonewithin that area with two active magicalitems to roll on Table 2. This conditioncannot be dispelled, but it ends when thePC becomes clear (or steps out) of thearea of effect. Another roll must be madeevery time a PC moves back into thefield.

Items that perform the same functionimpose a further -10% penalty per item.For instance, bracers of defense, magicalarmor, and a cloak of protection all havethe effect of enhancing one’s ArmorClass, so a fighter wearing the first twoand then donning the latter must roll onTable 3, with a -20% roll. If the fighterwere wearing a ring of regeneration andmagical armor, however — items confer-ring benefits in two different areas —and then put on the cloak, the roll wouldbe only at -10%.

An example: A PC wears a cloak of pro-tection, bracers of defense, an amulet of theplanes, a scarab of holy turning, and a gir-dle of giant strength. On his left hand is aring of protection, and on his right is aring of jumping. He has a wand of wonder,a potion of extra healing, and a crystal ballin his backpack, and is trying on a pairof boots of dancing. (His DM loves him.)Because he is wearing and using morethan three items, there is a -5% penaltyfor each of them. Note that three magi-cal items he wears are there to enhancehis Armor Class. They receive the sec-ondary penalty for being multiple itemsperforming the same function.

The cumulative penalty on the roll is-65%, broken down thusly: -5% eachfor for an excessive quantity of activeitems (total: -35%); -10% for the sec-ond AC-enhancing magical item; and-20% for the third AC-enhancing item.

The wand of wonder and the crystalball, as they are in the backpack, do noteffect the wearer and are not counted.

The potion is dormant until drunk, andthe scarab is a priestly item; they don’teffect the roll, either. Since the PC is try-ing on the boots, he rolls on Table 1.Further rolls must be made wheneverthe wand or crystal ball is used or thepotion consumed; but these rolls aremade on Table 2.

If resulting conditions are contradic-tory, the temporary condition takesprecedence. (If the DM wishes, he maycall for a re-roll.) Once the temporarycondition has run its course, the contin-uous condition resumes. Only adding orremoving a device changes that perma-nent condition, though the DM mayconsider remove curse or wish spells toreturn the PC to his status quo ante.

Table 1: Continuous Conditions(roll 1d100)1-19. All magical items carried or worn,

including cursed items, cancel eachother out. An item must be added orremoved before any work at all.

20. One item glows as though a continu-al light spell has been cast on it. Theitem need not be one of the PC’smagical items. Decide randomly, orDM’s choice.

21. The next time the wearer is hit by amagic missile, a volley of magic missilesexplodes from his body, hitting every-one within 10’ for 4d6 hp damage.

22. All magical items adhere to thewearer. Only adding an item endsthis condition.

23. Dogs howl when within 50’ of thischaracter.

24. Drinking any liquid — even water —causes the wearer to become intoxi-cated for 1d4 rounds.

25. Mice appear and tug at magicalamulets, rings, or similar items when-ever the PC sleeps. Roll 1d6 for eachturn of sleep. On a 1, the tuggingawakens the PC, and he suffers a +2penalty on initiative the next day dueto lack of sleep. The mice never suc-ceed in removing anything.

26. A strange, melodious hummingemanates from the PC’s person (thinkof the monolith in the film 2001: ASpace Odyssey).

27. Any and all foodstuffs carried by thePC become crystallized salt.

28. The PC begins to itch unbearably ifhe has to ride any animal. Dexterityis reduced to 3, spellcasting is impos-sible, and he makes quite a spectacleof himself.

29. The PC smells like bacon.

30. The PC sees all opponents as giantrats. (“What do you mean the giantrat energy drains me?”) He canattempt to disbelieve at -4.

31. An illusory member of the oppositesex (ideally an old flame from a messysplit) follows the PC constantly, period-ically shouting “yoo-hoo!” and waving.No one else can see the illusion.

32. The PC’s voice becomes squeaky.Reaction rolls have a penalty of -5.

33. The PC sweats profusely. His effectsbegin to rust. Every 5 rounds he mustdrink a cup of water or temporarilylose 1 point of Constitution. If hisConstitution reaches zero, he dies.

34. Any music affects the PC like Otto’sirresistible dance spell.

37. The PC has an irresistible urge to puton yet another magical item. If thereare no more in his possession, hemust save vs. spell or become bel-ligerent with his comrades, demand-ing they give him something else. Ifhe saves, he continues to be uncom-fortable and bellicose and makes agrab at the first enchanted item hesees.

38. Any magical items possessing thepower of speech whisper the nameof the PC in awed tones when theyare within a 20’ radius of him.

39. The PC cannot understand any writ-ten language he otherwise knows;any scroll or spellbook he attempts toread looks like scribbling to him.

40. Whenever the PC comes to a fork orother form of divergent path, anunearthly voice whispers to himwhich way he should go. (It is at ran-dom, however, and has nothing todo with his destiny, safety, goals, ordesires — although he may well thinkit does.)

41. The PC’s food and water supplynever runs out; they mysticallyreplenish themselves.

42. A ghostly head floats above the PC,frowning down on him.

43. Moss grows on the PC’s clothing andarmor. It can be removed, but itgrows back in one day.

44. One charged item (ring, wand, staff,etc.) that the PC carries “goes off”when jostled. DM decides when thejostling occurs.

45. Speaking more than three words ata time gives the PC hiccoughs for1d10 turns. Spellcasting is impossible,missile attacks are made at -4, regu-lar attacks at -2.

46. If a spellcaster, the PCs spells all

10 MAY 1996

function at maximum capacity(range, duration, damage, etc.).

47. The PC’s reflection, in a pool or a mir-ror, is of the PC at age 100 (or thedemi-human equivalent).

48. Protective magics are reversed (e.g.,a ring of protection +2 becomes -2).

49. The PC projects an aura of invinci-bility such that villagers wherever hegoes beg him to deal with the localpack of werewolves, vampires, familyof frost giants, evil tax officials, etc.Unfortunately, things hostile to thePC do not detect this aura.

50-59. The newest item functions, butthe other items become inert.

60-100. No effect; everything functionsnormally.

Table 2: Temporary orInstantaneous Conditions(roll 1d20)1-3. All items carried, including cursed

ones, are nullified.4. All spells and magical devices within

15’ of the PC become inert for oneturn.

5. A random monster appears, shouts“Give me my ---!” and attacks, try-ing to gain possession of some item

the fight against the PC’s party.

(DM’S choice) of the PC’s until the

6. The PC’s charged items are energized

condition ends. If the PC should give

so that the next one used expendshalf its total charges in one massive

the monster the item, it disappears,

discharge (e.g., a wand of magic mis-siles with 20 charges would launch 10

only to reappear during the PC’s next

missiles). The rest of the charges orcharged items function normally after

melee. There is a 60% chance it

that.

fights for the PC; otherwise it joins

7. Charged items function, but, due tomagical forces in flux, they fail toexpend their charges while this con-dition lasts — effectively giving the PC“free” uses of the item.

8. The next time the PC successfully hitsin a melee, a loud disembodied cho-rus sounds, “Ta-daaaah!”

9. All one-shot items (potions, dusts, etc.)are permanently spoiled, their magicdispelled.

13. Whenever the PC reaches into a con-tainer, trunk, pouch, pocket, or hole

Dexterity is reduced by 3 points until

for something, all he withdraws is a

this condition ends.

dead fish. Containers must be emp-tied upon the ground for him to be

12. All charged items gain 1d6 charges.

able to get their contents.14. A 5-year-old child appears and hugs

the PC about the waist, sighing “My

Items whose maximum number of

hero!” It is an illusion that vanishes

charges is exceeded explode, causing

after 1 round.

10d6 hp damage to all within 10’.

10. The PC appears to be 100 years old(or the demi-human equivalent) toeveryone but himself.

11. The PC begins to itch all over.

15. The newest item activated or other-wise brought into use functions,while the others become inert.

16-20. No effect; everything functionsnormally.

James R. Collier lives in Ontario, Canada.This is his first appearance in DRAGON®Magazine.

DRAGON #229 11

by Steve Bermanillustrated by Bob Klasnich

ivination, as the ancients knew it, came in many forms.Some would inhale incense and reveal what it inspired.Others used augury, the examination of birds’ entrails, to

predict the future. And then there are those who carried a bigstick; practitioners of rhabdomancy.

In 16th century Germany, the study of rhabdomancy (divina-tion by means of a rod or dowsing stick) became popular. Ratherthan just being a local custom, dowsing was practiced on a verylarge scale and enjoyed great popularity in the villages aroundthe countryside. With time, the skill was ingeniously applied toprospecting at mines and mountainsides, with the magicianssearching for beds of coal or exploring the soil for fresh watersprings.

The usual dowsing rod is a forked stick, commonly hazelwood, held in both hands with the angle of the fork foremost.The rhabdomancer walks over the ground, and, supposedly,the rod twists as soon as it passes over the desired mineral orwater. That the divining rod was so freely employed inGermany during this period can be seen in the many woodcutsof mining operations that showed its practice.

The role of rhabdomancy was expanded by the French in the17th century. The divining rod became the latest novelty andwas used not only to discover water, mines, and hidden treasure,but also to trace robbers and murderers.

With such a history, rhabdomancy is the perfect addition tothe AD&D® fantasy realm. At first glance such a character seemslimited. True, not too many adventures take place around mine-shafts. But then, it is logical to assume that the lure of theUnderdark would quickly command the attention of mages wellsuited and experienced to working underground.

The rhabdomancerDescription: A rhabdomancer (or “rhabdomere”) is a wizard

learned in the use of a dowsing rod, a seemingly ordinary wood-en stick with which he can hone divinatory magic. Most rhab-domancers come from rural backgrounds, as urban wizardsscoff at the practice. In such areas, guilds of rhabdomancersexist, but they are small and represent the trade as prospectors,the members eager to be hired to find valuable sources of waterand precious metals and minerals. Some of these

their own ends. They might even adopt the role of guides to thecaverns. Such a mage can be of any alignment.

Though most rhabdomancers are human, certainly there isroom for other races to learn the trade. Because of the tie withmining and underground exploration, a DM may well considerthat some exceptional dwarves or Stoutish halflings would adopta career as rhabdomancers. Whether such mages can be chosenas player characters must be decided.

Role: Most rural communities will welcome a rhabdomancerfor his abilities, which seem wondrous to common folk. Using hisdivination powers, he can solve the mystery of stolen jewels,find a child lost in the woods, or discover a new site for a thirstyvillage’s new well. Even in the Underdark, the native races knowsomething of a rhabdomancer’s ability to find new caves andlost treasure.

Weapon proficiencies: Required: None. Recommended: dag-ger, dart, small pick (much like a smaller version of the miningtool, it inflicts 2-5/1-4 hp damage).

Nonweapon proficiencies: Required: dowsing (new), prospect-ing (new). Recommended: direction sense, endurance, engineer-ing, mining, reading/writing, stonemasonry.

Spells: As specialists in the school of Greater Divination, rhab-domancers cannot use spells from the school of Conjuration/Summoning. However, the guilds offer to teach several uniquespells to rhabdomancers, including spells that deal with tappingmagical energies through the dowsing rod.

Special benefits: 1) All rhabdomancers begin the game withan additional language, which must belong to a mining race(dwarven is the most common, though some learn deep gnome,and those of an evil bent may even study kobold). 2) A rhabdo-mancer substitutes his divining rod for the material componentin divination spells (except the revised locate object found below).Also, when using the divining rod, the mage may receive anincrease in effectiveness in certain divination spells (see below).Starting at first level, a rhabdomancer receives a +1 bonus on allsaves vs. rods, staves, or wands. This benefit increases by anadditional +1 for every five levels of ability gained.

Special hindrances: As these mages practice the art of Div-ination only through the use of rhabdomancy, any attempt bythem to cast a Divination spell without a divining rod results in

a penalty of double the normal casting time and amagicians eventually seek out new applicationsfor their craft, exploring underground for

10% unmodified chance of failure. Also, arhabdomancer can never cast a reversed

13DRAGON #229

Divinatory spell that would obscure orhinder detection, as such practices arebeyond his understanding. Related tothis, spells of illusion are rarely practiced,so the chance to learn any such spell ishalved.

Dowsing: The character has beentrained in the use of a divining rod. Whileall rhabdomancers begin with the spell tocraft an effective rod, this proficiencycovers the insight necessary to interpretthe finer meanings of the woods tuggingand twitching. Apprentice rhabdo-mancers are taught in the guild the fol-lowing tenant:

The fork is held by the two limbs, onein each hand, with the point going firstand the rod held horizontally. Then therhabdomancer walks gently over theplaces where he seeks an object or affec-tion. He should walk with care to not riskdispersing the emanations that rise fromthe spot where these things are andcause the rod to slant. For example, if themagician is seeking a deposit of gold ore,upon finding a vein a successful dowsingcheck reveals the purity of the metal. Theproficiency also affects the casting of var-ious divination spells. Some of these areblocked by stonework, thick wood, ormetal deposits. A skilled rhabdomancer isable to pierce these “walls” with a suc-cessful dowsing check (note the belowlisting of common Divination spells forthose cases in which a dowsing check isrequired). Otherwise, a DM may call forthe rhabdomancer to make a proficiencyroll to see if any obscure or additionalinformation is discovered.

Also, using this proficiency, a rhabdo-mancer can locate the proper saplingwith which to craft a suitable diviningrod. Rare wood types that could be usedin making a rod could quite possiblyrequire a successful Dowsing check. Atthe DM’s discretion, a rhabdomancermay forgo learning a new nonweaponproficiency in order to become betterskilled at Dowsing. Each abandoned slotadds 1 to the character’s proficiency roll.This allows an edge for high-level rhab-

domancers who remain true to their craft.Prospecting: This proficiency grants

knowledge in the practice of searchingfor valuable metals and minerals. Thereare many techniques available, and thecharacter is fairly familiar with thosepracticed by his culture (or the culturewherein he was taught prospecting). Thisincludes using metal or wood pans andfine meshes to sift through riverbeds anddirt. A successful check performed on adaily or weekly basis indicates that some-thing of worth was found, though usual-ly such results yield only small gains atmost.

Rhabdomancer magicHere are a few spells that rhabdo-

mancers use in pursuit of their craft andwhile exploring mineshafts and caverns.

Craft Divining Rod(Alteration, Enchantment)Level: 1Range: 0Components: V, S, MDuration: PermanentCasting Time: 1 hourArea of Effect: See belowSaving Throw: None (but see below)

The first task a rhabdomancer mustundertake in his career is the finding andcrafting of a suitable divining rod. Aforked branch of hazel or filbert (thewoods of choice) must be found. Thelength of the rod should be 1½’, thewhole no thicker than a finger, and thetree it was cut from not more than a yearold. Over the next hour as the mageslowly intones the words of the spell, hegently shapes and smooths out the woodwith the simplest of tools. At the end ofthis time, the divining rod is ready to beused. It bears a slight dweomer, as ifresidual magic is retained by the wood.Of course, the rod can easily be broken,thus sending the rhabdomancer on thesearch for another sapling. At the DM’sdiscretion, certain woods have differenteffects when crafted into a divining rod.

For example, ash has long been held tobe associated with storms and lightning,and perhaps a rod fashioned from thiswood may be used to predict bad weath-er. Magical trees may be sought after byadventurous rhabdomancers to givethem an edge; in such cases the magemust succeed in a saving throw vs. magicwhile casting this spell. Failure meansthat the rod is flawed and useless, whilesuccess will impart some measure of thewood’s magic to the divining rod.

The guilds ensure that all apprenticerhabdomancers learn this spell.

Shield Flame(Alteration)Level: 1Range: 10 yds.Components: VDuration: 1 turn + 1 turn per levelCasting Time: 1Area of Effect: One torch-sized flameSaving Throw: None

Most miners and cavern explorersconsider this simple spell far more impor-tant than your average mage. When cast,it protects an open flame from exposureto drafts and volatile gases. For the dura-tion of the spell, nonmagical gusts orbreezes are unable to extinguish thetorch. Any vapors that would normallyexplode upon contact with fire (such asblack damp or carbon monoxide) haveno effect on a shielded flame. Of course,the spell may also be applied aboveground to areas too windy to hold aloft alit torch or candle.

Locate Object(Divination)Level: 2Range: 20 yds. per levelComponents: V, S, MDuration: 1 round + 1 round per levelCasting Time: 2Area of Effect: SpecialSaving Throw: None

Rhabdomancer Nonweapon Proficiencies

Name Group Slots Relevant CheckRequired Ability Modifier

Dowsing Wizard 2 Wisdom - 1Prospecting General 1 Dexterity - 1

Two unique nonweapon proficiencies are listed as part of a rhabdomancer'straining. While anyone can learn the trade of a prospector, only the guilds andother rhabdomancers teach the skill of dowsing.

This spell aids in locating a known orfamiliar object or site. The rhabdomancercasts the spell while holding aloft hisdivining rod. As he slowly turns, he feelsa tug along the rod’s length when he isfacing in the direction of the sought-aftercommodity or place, provided it is withinrange. The spell can locate such objectsas coal, water, tools, or even find a mine-shaft or tunnel entrance. Note thatattempting to find a specific site requiresan accurate mental image; if the image isnot close enough to the actual, the spellmay lead the caster astray to the nearestsimilarity (at the DM’s discretion). Unique

14 MAY 1996

items desired cannot be located by thisspell unless they are known by the cast-er. The spell can be blocked only bymagic (such as the normal reverse,obscure object).

The material components are therhabdomancer’s divining rod and, incases where a physical object is sought, asmall sample of the substance, which isrubbed along the rod’s length.

Lesser Rhabdomancy(Divination)Level: 3Range: See belowComponents: V, S, MDuration: 1, turn + 2 rounds per levelCasting Time: 3Area of Effect: SpecialSaving Throw: None

This is a more powerful variant of thelocate object spell, one known and prac-ticed only by rhabdomancers in their pur-suit of adventure. Whereas that spell willonly dowse for objects and sites, lesserrhabdomancy allows the wizard to divinefor creatures, individuals, and locations.During the spell’s casting, the rhabdo-mancer must decide upon what he isseeking. If he is divining for a certain raceor creature, the dowsing rod will pointand lead to any such if within range of 20yards per level. An individual or specificplace may be named during the casting.No real range is necessary as the dows-ing rod will begin tugging to lead in thedirection that person or site can befound; if not reached by the end of thespell the rod becomes still. Note thatthough the caster need never have metor seen either the person and locationsought after, he or it must be referred toby name. Thus, using lesser rhabdoman-cy to hunt down the “captain of the cityguard” or “the nearest armory” causes thespell to fail; rather “Captain Jenkins” or“The Shrine of Exegete” would lead thewizard onward.

Protection from Clebes(Abjuration)Level: 3Range: See belowComponents: V, SDuration: 3 rounds + 1 round per levelCasting Time: 3Area of Effect: See belowSaving Throw: None

In the early days of mining, it was dis-covered that certain creatures thatseemed to be made from the earth itselfwould often attempt to halt any digging.At this time, the elemental theory was

not well-known, and such creatures wereclassified as glebes (from the Old Tongueword for “earth”). Nowadays, scholarsrealize that such entities are actuallyminor earth elementals. But to theancients, they were a threat that neededto be protected against. The first rhabdo-mancers developed this spell, with itsmultiple aspects and uses. First and fore-most, protection from glebes can be cast toprovide a globe of protection 10’ widethat is centered on the rhabdomancerand moves with him. Any protected indi-vidual within this area may break thewarding effects by meleeing with a glebe.Otherwise, no creature originating fromthe elemental plane of earth (whether ornot this protects against the para- andquasi-elemental planes alongside isunknown) with eight or less Hit Dice canintrude upon the protected area. In addi-tion, any magical or spell effects castupon those inside the globe by a “glebe”are saved at +3. The second applicationof this spell is to create a ward that pre-vents egress. The caster merely draws aline (no more than 10’ long) before himon the ground and incants the spell.Thereafter for the duration of the spell,no glebe can cross this line, and thisincludes bypassing it by flight or burrow-ing. Minor protection may also be offeredto any item. In such a case, the ward isplaced. directly on the object, and anyglebe that touches the item suffers 1d6hp damage plus an amount equal to thecaster’s level, no saving throw allowed. Aside effect of this spell that the latter-dayrhabdomancers discovered is that indi-viduals so protected receive a +5 on allsaves vs. all petrification attempts,whether this be from a creature’s gaze orby spell.

Detect Ensorcellment(Divination)Level: 4Range: See belowComponents: V, SDuration: 1 turnCasting Time: 4Area of Effect: One creature or object

per roundSaving Throw: See below

With this spell, a rhabdomancer cannot only determine if a person or objectis either charmed or cursed, but also maygain some insight into the origin of suchensorcellment. The creature (or object insome cases as determined by the DM) isallowed a saving throw vs. spell modifiedby the difference in levels between thecaster of the enchantment or curse and

the rhabdomancer (thus a minotaurunder the influence of a 7th-level evilwizard’s charm monster would save at -2if this spell is cast by a 9th-level rhabdo-mancer). If the saving throw is successful,then the caster only learns of the pres-ence, if any, of ensorcellment but nothingmore. A failed saving throw reveals theexact nature of the spell, includingeffects, duration, and sphere of origin. Inaddition, the rhabdomancer has a 5%chance per level of further discerning theidentity of the ensorcellment’s caster. Theinformation discovered would be that ofrace, class, relative magical strength, andalignment. A dowsing check may also berolled then and if successful, the locationand (common, not true) name of thatspellcaster is also learned. Should a crea-ture or object be under more than onemagical effect, a dowsing check is neces-sary to pierce each such spell. A failed rollmeans that nothing more can be learnedafter the first charm or curse has beendiscovered.

Tap Menhir(Evocation)Level: 4Range: See belowComponents: V, S, MDuration: 1 day per levelCasting Time: 1-3 roundsArea of Effect: CasterSaving Throw: See below

This is the first of the spells known torhabdomancers which allows them touse their dowsing rod to tap into anexisting supply of magical energy. Ruraltraveling mages enjoy the benefits ofthis particular spell in regions that har-bor rings of stone or monoliths. Such for-mations are often known to containlatent arcane power. Upon casting thisspell, the rhabdomancer has a time peri-od of one day per level to find a suitablemenhir, with his dowsing rod leadinghim in the proper direction. Once at sucha site (the spell must be cast againshould the duration have run out), themage can use his rod as a channelbetween his person and the menhir. Dueto the unnatural energies that coarsethrough his person drawn from the men-hir, a system shock roll is required. Afailed roll means that the caster couldnot contain the arcane energy in his per-son and suffers a loss of half his currenthit point total. But should the rhabdo-mancer be successful, the tapped energygrants him several benefits.

Firstly, the instant recollection of any1st-level spells used in the past 24 hours.

16 MAY 1996

Next, the caster grows in Strength 1-4points, while he recovers a number of hitpoints equal to double that amount.Finally, the mage makes all savingthrows at a +1 bonus. The additionalmight and saving throw bonus last only anumber of days equal to half the caster’slevel. No benefits are gained if this spell isintoned again before the benefits of firstcasting have yet to expire. Not all men-hirs contain a reservoir of magic neces-sary for this spell. Some may even have alimited pool to draw from and may bedrained after only a few castings.

Greater Rhabdomancy(Divination)Level: 5Range: See belowComponents: V, S, MDuration: SpecialCasting Time: 5Area of Effect: SpecialSaving Throw: None

A more potent version of the lesserrhabdonmcy spell, this spell allows thewizard to search for a desired physicalobject, a place or person or creature, amagical effect, or even an affection orquality not discovered by normal divina-tory means. Thus, the rhabdomancermay use his rod and this spell to seek outa silver vein in a mineshaft, ferret outthief in a town, discover the site of adimensional vortex, or even find truelove. The caster need only hold out hisdivining rod, mentally picture the desiredend of the spell, intone the words, androtate until he feels the tuggings in thewood that show the direction he musttravel to find what is sought. Obviously,certain applications of this spell requirethe forethought and attention of the DM.Due to this, and the fact that greaterrhabdomancy is infallible unless dis-turbed or dispelled by other magic, theduration of the spell can be as long as theDM feels necessary; while the desiredend may be found, the hunt may take farlonger than the wizard wishes or canhandle. But many an adventure hasoccurred along the trail to whatever isbeing sought.

Dweomer Divest(Evocation)Level: 6Range: 20 yds.Components: V, S, MDuration: InstantaneousCasting Time: 1 roundArea of Effect: See belowSaving Throw: Negates

This is perhaps the most infamous spells and lifts the dweomer from a con-spell in a rhabdomancer’s possession. tinual light sphere, he cannot choose toUsing this powerful magic, the wizard can memorize that stolen spell. A potion thatsteal away the dweomer from an has been divested loses the equivalent ofenchanted object and use it for his own one dose, while charged items lose oneends. The caster must aim his dowsing charge with each successful casting ofrod at the magical item and intone this this spell. All other items become non-spell. Then he must make a saving throw operational for 1d4 rounds following thevs. magic adjusted as listed below: casting should their dweomer be lifted.

Item Adjustmentwand or rod nonestaff -2 on savepotion -2 on savering -4 on savemiscellaneous -4 on savearms/armor -6 on saveartifact spell failsThe rhabdomancer’s saving throw

determines the spell’s effects. An abysmalfailure, a roll of 1 (which may be a modi-fied roll), means that the magic wasstolen, but the power cannot be con-tained or controlled by the caster, and themagic “detonates” on the caster. Offensivespells are resolved normally, though therhabdomancer still receives any relevantsaving throws. Other magical effects aretwisted so as to be detrimental in somefashion to the mage (for example, aninvisibility spell divested from a ring mayonly cause the caster to be invisible to hisown sight!). A failed saving throw, but notan abysmal roll, results in no power beingdivested, and the caster suffers a -2 on allsaves against that item should it later beused against him for a period of 24 hours.A successful saving throw indicates that asmall portion of that item’s power is takenby the rhabdomancer. Defensive magic(like that of a cloak of protection) is auto-matically applied to the caster. All othermagic is released immediately in the seg-ment following the dweomer divest, withthe subject/target of the spell at the rhab-domancer’s whim. All stolen magic func-tions at a level of ability equal to 6th forwands, 8th for rods, 12th for potions,rings, staves, and miscellaneous items;this affects duration, range, and possibleinflicted damage (though some offensivespells, like fireball, will still have an instan-taneous effect).

Mine the Earthspark(Evocation)Level: 8Range: See belowComponents: V, SDuration: 1 day per levelCasting Time: 2-5 roundsArea of Effect: CasterSaving Throw: See below

This rare spell shows obvious dwar-ven influences; indeed, it can be cast onlyin the dwarven tongue. It leads a rhab-domancer toward scarce areas under-ground where magical power is helddeep within the earth. Some sages maycall such deposits Nodes or Sarsens, andthey can be magically tracked down viathe lines of power and emanations radi-ating from them. The dwarves haveanother name for them: HordaskThar’dik, or Seat of the Earthspark.

Should the rhabdomancer finallyarrive at such a site and the spell durationhas not expired, he may seek to draw outsome of the vast arcane energy of thesarsen through his dowsing rod and intohis person. This is dangerous, as a mortalshell was not built to contain such power.The wizard must make an immediate sys-tem shock roll to survive tapping theEarthspark. Failure means death, as thebody is blackened from the vast powerdrawn.

A phenomenal success, a natural rollof 20, means that the rhabdomancer hasgreater control of the magic. As long asthe dweomer is not from the schools ofConjuration/Summoning or Illusion, andthe DM can assign it a spell level that hasbeen already mastered by the mage, thecaster may choose to memorize themagic rather than immediately cast it. Ofcourse, if the rhabdomancer has alreadyin mind his full complement of 2nd-level

Should the roll be successful, the ben-efits are many. The rhabdomancer’sStrength and Constitution instantly areincreased to 18. Any wounds the castermay have suffered are healed, scars van-ish, and even lost fingers, toes, ears, oreyes are regenerated. The rhabdomancerseems to seethe with an unnatural powerthat can cause awe or fear (dependingupon the character’s actions) in any indi-vidual or creature below 4th level or fourHit Dice.

Because the Earthspark is connectedwith the energies of the elemental planeof earth, all spells cast by the rhabdo-mancer that deal with earth, dirt, or stonehave double the normal area of effectand duration. Also, creatures from thatplane will not attack the caster, either outof respect or fear (if an opposing align-

DRAGON #229 17

ment), except in self-defense. Anyattempt to petrify the caster ends in fail-ure. The power of the Earthspark remainswith the rhabdomancer for a number ofdays equal to his level halved. No bene-fits are gained if this spell is intonedagain before the benefits of first castingexpire. Some dwarven scholars have sug-gested that continued exposure to theEarthspark corrupts a man, turning himmiserly and mean-spirited. This may betrue, for obviously, the location of anysarsen is a prize much sought after byhigh-level rhabdomancers, and suchmages jealously guard the site with trapsand even creatures, hoping to protecttheir claim from other rhabdomancersseeking power.

Other spell useSpells useful and not

As mentioned in the kit description,rhabdomancers may gain additional ben-efits to some Divination spells when castwith the aid of a divining rod as follows:

Detect magic: The rhabdomancer has a20% chance per level to recognize thetype of magic (alteration, conjuration,etc.), if any, present. With a successfuldowsing check, he may recognize aspell/magical effect encountered before.

Detect undead: Rhabdomancers have a5% chance per level of discerning theexact nature and number of undead, any,present.

ldentify: Normally, a rhabdomancerhas no benefit in the casting of this spell,except that due to his specialization inthe use of a divining rod, he has a slightedge in the identification of magical rodsand wands (staves are not included); theloss of Constitution due to casting is only4 points.

Read magic: There is no additional ben-efit when this is cast by a rhabdomancer.

Detect evil/good: With a successfuldowsing check, the rhabdomancer candiscern the exact sort of evil (cunning,murderous, necromantic, treacherous,unholy, etc.) or good (blissful, generous,holy, kind, etc.) present.

Detect invisibility: As long as the rhab-domancer holds his divining rod, theinvisible or hidden is revealed to him.

ESP: Rhabdomancers gain no benefitin casting this spell so they rarely learn it.

Know alignment: The subject of thisspell receives a penalty on his savingthrow equal to the rhabdomancer’s level.

Locate object: See the reworked spelllisted above.

Clairaudience and Clairvoyance: Rhab-

domancers gain no benefit in castingthese spells so they rarely learn them.

Detect scrying: The scryer suffers apenalty to their saving throw to resistbeing revealed equal to half the rhabdo-mancer’s level (round fractions up).

Magic mirror: Few rhabdomancers usethis spell, so there is no benefit to castingthis spell. (Actually, casting this spell mayharm the mage’s reputation!)

Contact other plane: Rhabdomancersrarely have much dealings with extrapla-nar creatures, though they certainly wel-come insight from the elemental plane ofearth. As such, they have no benefit incasting this spell. With a successful dows-ing check, the rhabdomancer gains somesmall insight into the sort of being con-tacted (relative power, intelligence, align-ment, etc.).

False Vision: Since rhabdomancers cannotfathom magic that distorts or obscures divina-tion, this spell cannot be learned.

Legend Lore: Rhabdomancers gain nobenefit in casting this spell.

True Seeing: Only as long as the rhab-domancer holds his rod, he has true sight

Vision: Rhabdomancers gain no bene-fit in casting of this spell, so they rarelylearn it.

Screen: Since rhabdomancers cannotfathom magic that distorts or obscuresdivination, this spell cannot be learned.

Foresight: Only while the rhabdo-mancer holds his rod, he gains the insightthe spell offers. He may also choose toswitch the object of the spell once around, but each time this is done itlessens the spell duration by one round.

Rhabdomancer guild spellsExploring mineshafts and caverns reg-

ularly means that certain spells becomemore useful than others. Here follows alisting by level and name of some wizardspells that a rhabdomancer may beoffered by the guilds, and their mostcommon uses. The list does not includespells greater than 4th level, as they areoften of such power that they are notalways taught by the guild, and theireffectiveness underground is often moreobvious (a passwall spell for example, ordig).

First levelAffect normal fires: This may help to illu-

minate large areas without the need formany lamps.

Light: This spell provides the perfectillumination, one that is proof againstflammable gases and holds no risk of suf-focating the user.

18

Mending: This can be used to repaircracks in support beams.

Reduce (the reverse of enlarge): Thisspell is perfect for the removal of debrisand loose rock.

Tenser’s floating disc: This is a usefulmeans for bearing any ore or preciousfindings out of the earth without a cart.

Second levelContinual light: See light, above.Levitate: This is useful for lifting heavy

rocks and the like.Strength: As many of the endeavors

underground may be physical andrequire additional strength, this can be ofassistance.

Third levelFeign death: This may be used to effect

a cataleptic state when threatened withharmful gases or a lack of oxygen.

Gust of wind: This is an excellentmeans to flush away harmful vapors andprovide fresh air to mineshafts.

Infravision: This spell provides an obvi-ous means for sight in the Underdark.

Item: This allows for inventive usessuch as turning a stout beam into aportable brace when needed or carryinggreat lengths of rope or chain withoutencumbrance.

Slow: This spell affects a target’sbreathing, thus allowing the individual tooperate in places with less oxygen.

Windwall: This presents yet anothermeans to keep harmful gases at bay.

Fourth levelDig: This spell’s usefulness is clear.Polymorph self: When escape is neces-

sary or for exploration of the caverns, ananimal form may be best.

Vacancy: After the discovery of a richvein or sarsen, this spell allows the cast-er’s “claim” to go unmolested by tres-passers.

Like all magic, the usefulness of adivining rod is, in truth, limited only bythe determination and imagination of itswielder. With the challenges that explor-ing underground offers, a rhabdomancerfinds not only his skills but also his per-sonality a welcome asset to an adventur-ing party.

Steve Berman is a freelance writer busedin New Jersey. His work has been published inmany gaming magazines; this marks histhird appearance in the pages of DRAGON®Magazine.

MAY 1996

2 0 MAY 1996

Phantastic advice fromEmil Duli Wonk�s traveling illusionist seminar

by RogersCadenheadillustratedby RobertLessl

racky the Hooded One hurried to the meeting hall, a printedinvitation clutched in his hands. “Friend, you’re missing theopportunity of a lifetime if you miss Emil Duli Wonk,” the invita-

tion stated. “The master mesmerist will be appearing before the EastWestgate Illusionists’ Guild tonight to present his seminar, ‘How toFool Most of the People All of the Time.’ Duli Wonk will also be giv-ing a practical demonstration of his techniques. Carrot cake anddrinks will be served. Only a geas should prevent you from attend-ing this special event.”

Handing 50 gold coins to a sleepy dwarven usher in the lobby,Kracky strode excitedly into the speaking hall. He had never attend-ed an event in the building before, but it was packed with his phan-tasmal peers. “We’re just about to start,” the dwarf told him. “Sit any-where you like, and by all means have some cake.”

Kracky found a seat and was chowing on cake as a lean, gray-haired gentleman stood up before the members of the guild.“Greetings, people of East Westgate. My name is Emil Duli Wonk.Some call me genius. Others call me visionary. Some terribly mis-taken children in cities I have visited even call me dad. But none shallever call me illusionist.”

The crowd quieted down as Emil Duii Wonk ushered a dwarfonstage and continued to speak.

Practice your delusionsYou’re probably asking yourselves why I stand before you

and deny my chosen profession. We are illusionists, are wenot? Masters of mesmerism! Poets of perception! I brought myassociate onstage to explain myself better. This dwarf is myfriend Dave. Before he came to work for me, he was a thief.

Dave robbed people to make his living.Back in those days, when someone asked Dave

watch your things while you go and powder your nose.” Orcould it have been, “Howdy, chum. I burgle and mug. Nice ringyou got there.”

As you may have theorized, both of these guesses are incor-rect. Dave lied about his job because honesty was terrible forhis business. He told strangers that he was self-employed inthe acquisitions industry.

By the same principle, you should not be calling yourselves“illusionists.” You are in the business of fooling people. Everyperson who knows you fiddle with phantasms is a harder per-son to fool.

That’s bad for you. It’s bad for all of us, in fact. You’ve madeit even worse here in East Westgate with the name of yourguild. I’ll bet your group has trouble getting people to acceptyour payments. It’s probably even harder to find dates for yourclub socials. No one wants to kiss a prince who turns into afrog when he ceases to concentrate.

The first lesson I would like to teach tonight is this: You arenot an illusionist. The biggest phantasm you will ever cast isnot a spell. It’s the trickery you use to hide your chosen pro-fession.

Moonlight as a mageI call myself a mage. This is easy to do. First off, I learn non-

illusory spells and I put them to use often. I’m not able to castspells of necromancy, abjuration, invocation, or evocation, butthere’s plenty of other magic available. My personal favoritesare enchantment spells.

Secondly, I carry around lots of spell components — mypockets are stuffed with insect parts, powdered gemstones, and

other tidbits. One thing I always keep on handabout his job, what do you think he said? Wasit, “Hi, I’m in thievery. I’d be happy to

is plenty of bat guano.Yes, guano.

DRAGON #229 21

I keep it with me for two reasons.First, guano convinces people you’re

a mage, because no one else wouldcarry this stuff around. Guano alsokeeps people at a distance, since no onewants to pal around with an adventurerwho smells.

That explains a lot, those of you inthe front row must be thinking. Feel freeto change seats at any time. Distance isone of the best friends of an illusionist.The less you know about me, the moreI’m able to play inside your head.

In addition to posing as a mage, youcan also put together a decent impres-sion of a cleric. It can be effective to por-tray a priest or perhaps find a real oneto team up with.

Priests are able to use their spiritualconnections to cast spells, and many ofthese acts are nothing short of miracu-lous.

Think of how healing would be per-ceived if accompanied by an illusion ofholy significance. In the right environ-ment such as a rural enclave of inbred,impressionable gnolls — or any universi-ty campus — illusions may be perceivedas religious visions.

By delivering miracles on demand toa superstitious group, you can attracthordes of true believers who are recep-tive to your whims. Train them as astrike force. Keep them as pets. My per-sonal favorite is to bankrupt them.

When you’re able to create visions,you’re also able to collect offerings. Thiscan be a lucrative operation if you arewilling to accept the possible downside.Getting caught in this effort can result incharges of heresy, a guided tour of asacrificial altar, and a spot on the busi-ness end of divine intervention. Take itfrom me — I’ve been through all three,and they make pockets full of guanolook pretty good by comparison.

As an alternative to mimicking spell-casting professions, you might want toadopt a guise with a lower profile. Beinga merchant can be lucrative, especially ifyou’ve got something to sell.

The best part of sales is that yourproducts don’t have to be good, andyour prices don’t have to be competi-tive. With a few well-timed illusions andan enchantment spell like charm person,you could peddle summer homes inGehenna and fresh fruits hand-pickedby unsanitary svirfneblin. It’s the besthigh-margin sales opportunity since lifeinsurance policies in Ravenloft.

There are other professions to hidebehind, but the point ought to be clear

by now: Anyone who says he is an illu-sionist is either a liar or a fool. Peoplewho actually are illusionists should beonly liars.

When disbeliefisn’t suspended

My fellow illusionists, we should alsobe paranoid. I have been tossing outphantasms for more than four decades,and l have spell components older thanmost of you. No one gets to be an oldillusionist without a healthy amount ofself-doubt, outright cowardice, and goodfoot-speed.

To illustrate my point, I would like tointroduce my associate, Frampton theBrave. Dave, please bring me that tar-nished silver urn.

These ashes are all that remain ofFrampton. He and I were adventuringtogether back in the days when theCaves of Chaos were just the Pair ofNeutral Caves with Chaotic Tendencies.

I remember the details as if it wereyesterday. Frampton, I, and a small bandof edged-weapon fanatics were headinginto a kobold enclave near Green PlumeMountain. The kobolds had allegedlybeen hoarding women and kidnappinggold. We raided their lair, but afterthings got bad, our warriors beat a hastyretreat. I beat an even hastier one.

Frampton, however, believed that hecould stem the onrush of little hairyantagonists with an elaborate illusion ofa rival band of orcs — broad-snoutedpig-men with arms the size of legs andhairy moles bigger than some of thekobolds.

It was a wonderful, captivating phan-tasm displaying a full palette of colorsand a good use of white space.Frampton had been working on it forweeks.

How could he have known that thesekobolds were from a rare subclan thathad championed the use of homeschooling? The kobolds sent Frampton’sremains back to us in this urn after wereturned their valuables and signed acontract assuming legal responsibilityfor all repairs required to fix their lair.

I’m still making payments.If Frampton were here, he would tell

you one simple truth. As it is, I must usethe lid of this urn to paraphrase him:“Less is more,” Frampton says to us! Amoderately difficult, plausible illusion isusually better than an elaborate, implau-sible one.

The appearance of a phantasmal bat

dropping from a cavern ceiling can dis-tract an opponent and provide anadvantage in combat. It isn’t likely to bedoubted, and if the illusion is disbe-lieved, it may seem as if the bat simplyflew away.

A phony fire-breathing dragon ismuch more likely to be discovered. Anillusionist usually doesn’t get to spendquality time around these monsters eye-balling their movements and manner-isms. This makes it more likely for some-one to disbelieve what they’re seeing.

An even bigger concern is if the illu-sion is dispelled and this fact becomesreadily apparent to everyone in thevicinity. Losing a grandiose phantasm islike painting a big sign on your foreheadthat reads, “Illusionist here: Unarmoredand Mostly Harmless.”

When this happens, it is often fortu-itous to have included the illusionist inthe illusion. You ought to know how tofake your own movements, since you’vegotten a pretty good look at yourselfover the years. I spend many an hourcasting admiringthe mirror, and —

glancesthough

marriage — it helped mydeal.

atit

myselfcost me

ina

abilities a great

I never choreograph a complicatedphantasm without including myself inthe scene. If the star of the illusion flubsa line or makes some other revealingmistake, there’s a chance that the angryaudience will turn its wrath on my phan-tom duplicate. I’m happy to let him takethe blame, and it often gives me time tolet my sprinting ability do its magic.

We illusionists think of our craft ascoming strictly from the brain — yankingwonderfully convincing visions out of itlike a stage magician pulls land-basedmammals from a hat. This is a good atti-tude to have if one likes to travel Iight.No muss, no fuss, nonents to lug around.

large spell compo-

The real brainwork, however, comesfrom using raw materials to comple-ment the illusion.

The proper use of propsIf you make your surroundings a part

of the spell, anyone who doubts the sur-roundings will find them to be real. Thisleaves them more susceptible to thestuff that’s fake.

A case in point: Every beginningphantasmist dreams of casting an illu-sory bridge over a chasm, fooling ene-mies into getting halfway across beforerevealing the ruse. In my own youth, I

22 MAY 1996

Spells from the tome of Emil Duli WonkEver-changing Self(Illusion/Phantasm)Level: 4Range: TouchComponents: V, SDuration: 1 hour/levelCasting Time: 1Area of Effect: One creatureSaving Throw: None

This spell gives the spellcaster or acreature touched a physical appearancethat slowly changes over the full dura-tion of the illusion. The alterations inappearance can include shifts in facialfeature, hair color, weight, clothing, andequipment. The creature’s race caneven be changed, though both the orig-inal and altered forms must be human,demi-human, or humanoid.

At the time of the casting, the spell-caster must decide what changes inform will occur — for instance, a fair-skinned, thin rogue could end up as aportly, bearded merchant. There can bemore than one major shift during theduration of the spell, so a dwarf couldshift into a gnome and then an elf dur-ing the span. If the spell has been castupon a creature, the spellcaster doesnot need to be present after ever-chang-ing self has been cast. Unwilling crea-tures get a save vs. spell to prevent theillusion from being cast upon them. Ifthe save fails, a recipient might not beaware of his ever-changing self withoutlooking into a mirror or consciouslylooking over his appearance.

Those seeing an ever-changing selfdo not get a chance to disbelieve theillusion unless one of two conditions ismet: They are in constant sight of theindividual for at least one hour, or theyare of high enough Hit Dice to have achance to notice invisible creatures. Ineither case, a saving throw vs. spellreveals the true form of the individualunderneath a semi-transparent vision ofthe ever-changing self.

Like change self however, this spellcannot be used to mimic a specific indi-vidual, and it does not convey any abil-ities of the altered form.

Fools’ Copper(Alteration, Illusion)Level: 2Range: 10 yardsComponents: V, S, M

Duration: 1 hour/levelCasting Time: 1 roundArea of Effect: 10 cubic inches per levelSaving Throw: Special

This spell is the reverse of fools’ gold,making items appear less valuable tocreatures viewing them. The disguisedoes not alter the nature of the item(gold is still gold, diamonds are still dia-monds), but it lowers the perception ofan item’s quality. A jewel-encrustedgolden ring could be made to look likea plain iron band with this spell, and arune-carved paladin’s long sword couldappear as a rusty peasant’s blade. Thesaving throw and other elements of thespell are the same as fools’ gold, includ-ing the use of powdered gemstones tomake the spell harder to detect.

Nystul’s Magical Mask(Illusion)Level: 2Range: TouchComponents: V, S, MDuration: 1 day per levelCasting Time: 1 roundArea of Effect: SpecialSaving Throw: Special

This spell has the opposite effect ofNystul’s magical aura, covering up theaura of a magical item of five poundsweight per level of the spellcaster. If anidentify spell or other similar means isused to determine whether the item ismagical, there is a 50% chance that theruse is revealed. If not, all examinationsof the item find it to be non-magical innature. This spell does not work onextremely powerful magical items suchas artifacts.

The components for this spell are alump of coal and a drop of sour milk.

Phantasmal Pose(Illusion)Level: 1Range: 60 yds. + 10 yds. per levelComponents: V, SDuration: 10 seconds per levelCasting Time: 1Area of Effect: The casterSaving Throw: None

The phantasmal pose spell creates asimple illusion of the spellcaster stand-ing still, in either a battle ready or disin-terested-looking pose, at the pointwhere the spell was cast. If the caster

stays within a 5’-radius of his illusoryduplicate, he is invisible and inaudibleduring the duration of the spell. Thisprovides an opportunity to cast a spellor take another action without beingseen or heard. Once this action hasbeen completed, or the duration isreached, the duplicate vanishes. It alsovanishes if the spellcaster moves fartherthan 5’ away from the illusion.

The illusion of the spellcaster is onlyvisual and limited to one of the twoposes. As stated above, it makes theactions of the spellcaster silent within a5’ radius of the spot where the duplicatestands. No others are affected by thissilence. There is no saving throw.

Spectral Farce(Alteration, Illusion)Level: 3Range: 60 yds. + 1 yd. per levelComponents: V, SDuration: SpecialCasting Time: 3Area of Effect: 40’ cube + 10’ cube per

levelSaving Throw: Special

The spectral farce spell is an illusionthat makes images appear less believ-able, whether the images are real or illu-sory. If the images are real, the spellgives onlookers a reason to believe thatthey are fake. For example, spectral farcecould make a charging red dragon’smovements seem unrealistic, and alsosilence the sound of its claws rakingagainst stone as it landed in a cavern.This could make enemies of the dragonbelieve that its an illusion and takeactions to disbelieve its existence.

If the images are illusory, the spectralfarce spell can be highly effective at pro-moting disbelief. It grants a +4 savingthrow when determining whether aviewer believes an illusion is real. If theviewer has already failed a savingthrow, there is a chance that anothersaving throw will be allowed after spec-tral farce is cast. The chance is equal to50% plus the level of the spellcaster.

This spell can have all of the ele-ments utilized in a spectral force spell,including sight, sound, smell and heat.Sometimes these are used primarily tomask an element, such as the caseabove where a dragon’s claws weresilenced.

DRAGON #229 23

spent many days dreaming of methodsto turn my enemies into canyon pasta.

Sadly, the bridge trick does not work,because we can’t fool gravity.

An illusionist can, however, make anunsturdy bridge appear like one that issafe to cross. This has the same effect asthe fully illusory bridge, especially if theillusionist has taken the time to sabo-tage it!

If you travel with companions, youcan also supplement their homicidaltendencies. One of my favorite uses ofreal props is to give an archer pinpointaccuracy. Back in my days withFrampton, we were accompanied by acrossbow-wielding mercenary whocalled himself lgor the Intimidator.

A better name would have been igorthe Inaccurate, because head injurieshad done something terrible to hisdepth perception. When it appeared thatlgor had little chance to connect with hiscrossbow — such as any time he tookaim at groups of fewer than 12 —Frampton and l liked to better his oddswith phantasmal force spells.

Igor supplied the whirr of a bolt head-ing toward the enemy, and the intimi-dating grunt of a warrior with theutmost confidence in his abilities. Ourillusions supplied the sight of a bolt thatconnected in an ugly and particularlydamaging manner.

This gambit could only be used whenit was extremely important, but lgorbegan to think that he was a “gamer”who came through in clutch situations.Others came to believe it as well — Igoris now conducting his own speakingtour for aspiring archers.

The use of your surroundings canhave other practical applications for anillusionist. Since I spend a great deal oftime fleeing, I’ve found a way to avoideven the tracking ability of a ranger.

The vacancy spell makes it muchharder to be followed. All tracks in anarea 70’ in radius or more can be wipedout by this spell, because it makes theaffected area appear long unused. Thelikelihood of a tracker disbelieving isslim, because the lack of tracks is hardlya surprising occurrence. Hallucinatory ter-rain is another spell that is useful in thisinstance.

The common element to ail of thesesuggestions is to think small. You willnever believe how successful you can beif you lower your expectations. My ex-wives would have been happier womenif they had learned this valuable truth.

With that in mind, you are in the right

frame of mind to buy my spell collection.Dave and the rest of my associates arepassing around order forms for illusionsthat I have compiled over the years.None is particularly powerful, but eachshould give you ideas for their use.Unfortunately, I have yet to come up withsomething that increases my time in the40-yard dash. I’ve got a team of gnomesworking on that one as we speak.

For a limited time onlyThe spell book is only 399 gold

pieces, and there’s a foreword to thisedition penned by the hand of Bigbyhimself! if you act now, I’ll toss in a ship-ment of guano from the Isle of Dread.You won’t get better results from anyother bats, for the fiber-rich diet of theserodents is the stuff of legend!

Be all that you can seeNow that you’ve had some time to

look over the spell list, and all of the car-rot cake is gone, its time to bring thisseminar to a close. If you take nothingelse home with you from this event, andyou might not, take home a heightenedsense of what is possible in your profes-sion.

Illusionism is something greater thana specialized field of magic — it is a wayof looking at the world. Sometimes, thebest spells you can cast are those thatincrease your own perceptive abilities.One of my favorites, the 2nd-level spell,Lorloveim’s creeping shadow, grants theability to see, hear and speak throughthe vantage point of the caster’s ownshadow.

With this spell and a common house-hold lantern, you can make a prettygood living in the eavesdropping busi-ness. You can also get a better look atthings you want to recreate with a spell.

A great bard, Wilhelm of Stratfjord,once said, “There are more things onheaven and earth, Alphatia, than aredreamt of in your imagination.” Thismay be true for everyone else, but it isdecidedly false for the practitioners ofthe arts phantasmal.

Anything you may envision cancome to be, my friends. if you can see it,you can be it. If you can view it, you cando it. If you can bespy it, you can try it.if you can observe it, you can... well, Ihad better wrap this up.

You’ve been a terrific audience, EastWestgate. Good night, and don’t forgetto tip your server!

As his ushers filed out of the hall, EmilDuli Wonk bowed before the heartyapplause of the East Westgate Illusionists’Guild. “Before you go, we have to resolvethe matter of my speaking fee,” he said.

“But we already paid,” stammeredKracky the Flustered One, his hood restingon his shoulders and the invitation in onehand.

“Admission was paid for” Emil replied.“Departure will cost you.” The wooden wallsof the meeting hall vanished as the mastermesmerist let some phantasms terminate.Iron bars were revealed underneath, and itbecame obvious that the guild membershad wandered into a prison cell built insidea spacious warehouse. Dave the acquisi-tions expert slammed shut the gate to thecell.

“If you’ll each kindly donate, say, 10additional gold coins to the Emil Duli WonkAged Illusionist Relief Fund, my entourageand I will be off to our next engagement,”Emil announced. “Toss the coins throughthe bars, and if you don’t have the hard cur-rency, give something of comparable value.Don’t be stingy, or we’ll make you toss outspell books.”

Emil Duli Wonk stood on the podiumwhile the illusionists of East Westgate emp-tied their pockets, belt pouches, satchels andhandbags. One man overturned the con-tents of his hollowed-out wooden leg. Shortof coins, Kracky tossed out with much reluc-tance his lucky rabbits foot with goldembossing. As Kracky watched Dave pocketthe item, Duli Wonk continued to speak.

“This situation brings to mind a pointabout creating illusions that no one has areason to disbelieve. I must’ve skipped overthat notecard this evening”

Kracky the Frenzied One pulled up hishood and leapt onstage to throttle the guestspeaker like a wrinkled gray maraca. Heleapt right through Emil’s body and it van-ished.

“Thank you, East Westgate!” Emil’s dis-embodied voice echoed throughout thewarehouse. “Emil has left the building.”

After he got home, Kracky ordered EmilDuli Wonk’s spell collection.

Rogers Cadenhead is an Illinois-basedgamer and freelance writer.

24 MAY 1996

Foiling for a spite by Ed Riceillustrated by Tom Baxa

hat blasted paladin has thwarted myplans for the last time, Cletus!” the lichfumed. “I’m going to make his life com-

pletely and utterly miserable.”“What horrible fate shall you visit upon him this time,

master?” his quasit familiar asked.“I’ll kidnap his loved ones.”

“Master,” the quasit said, “You have already done this.”“Then, I’ll simply annihilate them.”

“Once again, you have already done this.”“A blight upon his homeland?”

“Did that.”“A debilitating pox upon his person?”

“Yup.”“Report him to His Majesty’s Tax Collector for income fax eva-

sion?”The quasit smiled. “I still remember the expression on the knight’s

face when they showed up.”“So how about a curse?” the lich suggested.“Oh, sure,” the demonling sneered. “Minus two to hit and minus

two to his saving throws; that’s sure to kill him.”A snap of the lich’s fingers sent the familiar flying across the room,

crashing info the cold stone wall. The undead mage rubbed his skele-tal hands together and glared menacingly at the quasit. “No, Cletus, Ihave something more sinister in mind for the meddlesome crusaderthis time.”

Has this ever happened to you? You want a villain to throwa curve into a player character’s well thought-out plans, so youhave the villain cast a curse upon him. While a small change inthe PC’s attack rolls and saving throws causes a few problemsonce in a while, it never seems to be quite as devastating as

you intended.With this in mind, let’s take a new look at curses and

how they work. A bestow curse spell currently exists asthe reverse of the remove curse spell. For the sake of

this article, we will assume them to be differentspells.

Two new spells are needed to makecurses function properly. They are bestowminor curse (a replacement for the exist-ing 3rd-level priest and 4th-level wizardbestow curse spells) and bestow majorcurse (a new 7th-level spell for priests anda 9th-level spell for wizards).

Minor curse spells are not life threaten-ing, nor are they able completely tophysically incapacitate a character. Majorcurse spells, while not necessarily lifethreatening to the cursed character, canbe so to others around him. They arealso usually permanent.

The attached tables list the curses,minor and major, in their appropriatecategories.

The tables are not to be used as amethod of random determination for acurse’s effect. It is up to the spell caster todetermine what curse the recipientreceives. Furthermore, it is up to the DMto decide which curses he allows in hiscampaign. DMs should also consider allthe possible repercussions of allowingthe PCs the ability to cast these spells.

The only exception to the tables, asfar as determining curse effects goes,would be a curse that changes its bane-ful effect at randomly determined inter-vals so that one day the victim suffersfrom X and the next day Y. This variationis available in both the major and minorcurse spells. The DM must determine thetime periods of each effect and whatnew effect is gained at the end of eachtime period.

several minutes. Adhering tolarge objects can result in theaccursed becoming stuckfast. This curse can bedesignated to affecteither the wholebody or just part ofit.

When considering the game effects,the DM should keep in mind the likelyeffects of the various curses. Many curs-es would make it either impossible (orvery difficult) to attempt concealment,silence, or other such clandestine activi-ties. Curse effects likely to affect spell-casting would just as likely affect fightingability, thieving abilities, or other actions.

Bestow Minor Curse(Abjuration/reversible)Level: W4/P3Range: TouchComponents: V, SDuration: One month per level of thecasterCasting Time: 4Area of Effect: SpecialSaving Throw: Negates

By touching a victim, the casterbestows a minor curse upon him. The cast-er can choose whatever effect or para-meters he wishes from the list above. The

Minor Curse Effects

1. Adherence 20. Filthiness2. Animal features 21. Floral hair3. Appendage growth 22. Forgetfulness4. Appendage shrinkage 23. Generosity5. Arthritis 24. Greed6. Babbling 25. Hair growth7. Baldness 26. Halitosis8. Barkskin 27. Hiccuping9. Belching 28. Insatiable appetite10. Body odor 29. Insatiable thirst11. Brooding 30. Insomnia12. Casting requirement 31. Invisibility13. Change, skin color 32. Itching14. Chills 33. Kleptomania15. Continual smiling 34. Lethargy16. Disrobing 35. Metal allergy17. Double vision 36. Myopia18. Drooling 37. Narcissism19. Elasticity 38. Nausea

39. Pathological lying40. Profuse sweating41. Serpent hand42. Serpent hair43. Shaking44. Slurred speech45. Smoldering46. Sneezing47. Spike Growth48. Stumbling49. Truth50. Uncontrollable laughter51. Unintentional insult52. Vulgarity53. Wart growth54. Weariness55. Weight gain56. Weight loss57 Whistling

spell; if successful, the curse is negated.The reverse of the spell negates theeffects of any one of the following curses.

Effect explanationsAdherence: The cursed one is very

“sticky.” This means that everything thathe touches adheres to him. Alcohol topi-cally applied negates this effect for

Animal features: This curse causesthe recipient’s features (ears, nose, etc.)to become animal-like. Which animal’sfeatures are gained is entirely up to thespellcaster.

Appendage growth: One of theaccursed’s appendages grows to a dis-proportionate size.

victim is allowed a saving throw vs.

Appendage shrinkage: This is theopposite of appendage growth.

Arthritis: The victim suffers frompainful arthritis. The DM must determinethe effect on the PC’s actions.

Babbling: The cursed individual con-stantly talks and chatters, unable toremain silent for more than a moment.This causes a 25% chance of spell fail-ure.

Baldness: Rather obvious in its intent,it can also be cast to cause those aroundthe cursed one for any great length oftime to suffer baldness.

Barkskin: This causes the accursed’sskin to take on the texture and appear-ance of tree bark. This actually increasesthe recipient’s Armor Class to a base of 6.It also relays a particular weakness tofire, increasing damage by all fire-basedattacks by +2 on all dice rolls and lower-ing saving throws against such attacksby -2.

Belching: As this is uncontrollable, itcauses a 25% chance of spell failure dur-ing casting attempts. This also makes ithard to Move Silently or remain quiet.

Body odor: The recipient is the unfor-tunate victim of a repugnant body odor.While not affecting him physically, it low-ers Charisma by 4 points.

Brooding: The recipient is continuallydowncast and suffers from melancholia.This also lowers Charisma by 4 points.

Casting requirements: This sets aseries of events (dancing a jig, knockingon wood, etc.) that a spellcaster mustperform before or during spell casting forthe spell to be effective. (There are unlim-ited options available for humor andchallenge here, especially if you requireyour player to do the jig his PC is doing.)

Change skin color: This changes thecolor of the recipient’s skin to any toneof the caster’s choice.

Chills: The cursed one suffers chills, aswith a fever. This lowers his reactiontime and drops overall Dexterity by 2points.

Continual smiling: While not seemingmuch of a curse, this can result in manya skirmish. Many will be offended by theaccursed’s constant grin.

Disrobing: The cursed individual willunknowingly take off his clothing duringthe most inopportune of moments. If thishappens while spell-casting, there is a25% chance of spell failure.

Double vision: This causes attack rollsto be made at -2 and lowers effectiveDexterity by 2 points.

Drooling: Uncontrolled drooling low-ers a victim’s Charisma by 4 points.

Elasticity: This allows the cursed indi-vidual to stretch his body beyond its nor-mal parameters. Unfortunately, the bodydoes not return to its normal shapeimmediately; it takes 1d4 hours to do soafter being stretched, during which timeDexterity is reduced by 4 points.

Filthiness: Poor hygiene in theextreme. Regardless of how many timesthe accursed bathes, he remains dirty.Furthermore, this filthiness extends tothe cursed person’s clothing. A variationof this curse causes the accursed simplyno longer to care about personalhygiene.

Floral hair: This causes one’s hair tobecome like weeds, grass, twigs, andflowers. While possibly raising Charismatoward woodland creatures, it lowers theaccursed’s Charisma by 4 points in theview of all others.

Forgetfulness: Lapses of memory trig-gered by certain events or contact withparticular objects or creatures incur a25% chance of spell failure. It can alsobe bad for non-spellcasters,

Generosity: The cursed individualfeels a need to give away everything ofvalue that he owns.

Greed: This persuades the accursedindividual to covet anything of value thatanyone else owns. Often this leads himto theft.

Hair growth: The cursed person isbeset by rapid, uncontrollable hairgrowth. Regardless of how often the per-son tries, he cannot control the growthor keep it properly groomed. It should benoted that this hair growth is all over theentire body, not just the head.

Halitosis: The afflicted person is besetwith bad breath. This not of the normalvariety, though. The bad breath is equalin its effect to a stinking cloud spell.

Hiccoughing: This increases chancesof spell failure by 25%. It is similar tobelching in that it is difficult to be silentand discrete when one is constantly hic-coughing.

Insatiable appetite: The accursed cannever satisfy that feeling of overwhelm-ing hunger.

Insatiable thirst: This curse has thesame effect as the insatiable hungercurse, except that it causes a thirst thatcannot be quenched.

Insomnia: Other than making the PCtired and edgy all the time, insomniatakes away his mental edge. This leadsto a 25% possibility of spell failure dur-ing casting.

Invisibility: There is no need todescribe this curse’s effect. However,

consider what it would be like to remaininvisible permanently. This causes nophysical impairments other than a 2point penalty when attempting actionsrequiring a measure of hand-to-eye coor-dination, and it places a horrible mentalstrain upon the individual.

Itching: Two forms of this curse arepossible. The first involves constant, non-stop itching. The second involves itchingonly when a set series of events occursor when the PC is under duress. Bothinstances reduce Dexterity and attackchances by 2 points and cause a 25%chance of spell failure during casting.

Kleptomania: The victim suffers anirresistible urge to pilfer from others. If heis not a thief, he will not be very good atit, and this could cause problems.

Lethargy: The PC suffers fromextreme drowsiness either all the time orunder circumstances of extreme duress.Once again, there is a 25% chance ofspell failure during spell casting and a -2penalty to Dexterity and attack rolls.

Metal allergy: Every time the PCtouches metal his hand breaks out inhives and blisters.

Myopia: (Extreme near-sightedness.)This reduces attack rolls by 4 points andcan wreak havoc when determining theplacement of area-effect spells. Be waryof myopic wizards lobbing fireball spells!

Narcissism: The PC’s extreme vanitycauses problems. He is quick to point outhis own looks to everyone else whilepointing out their flaws. When personsspend any length of time around thecursed PC, they perceive the PC as havinga Charisma 4 points lower than normal.

Nausea: The nausea only arises whenspecific requirements set by the caster ofthe curse are met (e.g., entering a smallroom, meeting a dwarf, etc.) reduces thePC’s attack rolls by 4 points and createsa 25% chance of failure during spell cast-ing.

Pathological lying: No explanation isnecessary to portray what an inability totell the truth can cause.

Profuse sweating: While not causingany detrimental effects of a physicalnature, this curse might have deleteriouseffects on Charisma.

Serpent hair: A person afflicted withthis curse is often mistaken for a medusaby others, who may be prone to attackfirst and examine the corpse later. Theaccursed’s hair changes into locks of liv-ing serpents. These snakes are indeedpoisonous to all but the PC, makingthem hazardous to all who are close tohim.

28 MAY 1996

Serpent hand: This curse causes oneor both of the victim’s appendages tobecome the maw of a living, poisonoussnake. The type of snake is decided bythe caster of the curse. The snakes can-not harm the PC, but are not under hiscontrol, attacking any who venture tooclose.

Shaking: Body spasms reduce the vic-tim’s Dexterity and attack rolls by 4points, and cause a 25% chance for errorin casting spells with a somatic portion.

Slurred speech: This curse does notaffect a character physically, but causesa 25% chance of spell failure during cast-ing.

Smoldering: The curse recipient con-stantly emits smoke from his skin andhair. This can cause some visual impair-ment, reducing attack rolls by 2 pointsand causing errors in distance judgmentfor spell casting. Furthermore, anyonesuffering from this curse has no chanceof going undetected unless he is stand-ing downwind in a gale.

Sneezing: Sneezing fits, set to triggerwhen a particular event occurs or the PCis in a stressful situation, cause a 25%chance of spell failure during casting.

Spike growth: Once cursed, the victimsprouts numerous spikes from all overhis body. While the spikes are no dangerto the accursed, they can cause seriousdamage to others (1-4 hp damage perspike.)

Stumbling: This affects manualDexterity regarding movement. Anywalking or running requires a successfulDexterity check made at -2 to avoidtripping over one’s own feet. This is inaddition to a penalty of -2 to normalDexterity.

Truth: This is the opposite of patho-logical lying.

Uncontrollable laughter: Many peo-ple find being laughed at insulting. Whatappears to be a minor curse can havesome serious repercussions when thecurse causes problems with the wrongpersons in the wrong places.

Unintentional insulting: The cursedindividual has no control over his tonguewhen around others. It usually onlytakes a few curse-inspired insults tocause the PC some major problems.

Vulgarity: Insults can be forthcomingwith this curse, but unlike the uninten-tional insulting curse, profanity is utteredin some form with every breath.

Wart growth: The cursed personbecomes covered from head to toes withwarts. This reduces Charisma by 4points.

Weariness: The accursed individual isalways tired. This causes a -2 penalty toattack rolls. Furthermore, this cursereduces the PC’s Constitution by 2 points.This makes wearing armor or equallyheavy objects for long periods of timenearly impossible.

Weight gain: The cursed individualimmediately begins to gain weight at arate of 5 Ibs. per day. The curse causesweight gain until the afflicted one is 100Ibs. over his original weight. Of course,clothing and armor no longer fit.

Weight loss: the exact opposite of theweight gain minor curse spell.

Whistling: This curse appears at ran-dom times. When it does, it has a 25%chance not only of interrupting theaccursed’s spell casting but also of inter-rupting the spell-casting of those in thecursed individual’s direct vicinity. This isnot likely to build friends among wizards.It also makes it difficult to hide.

Bestow Major Curse(Abjuration/reversible)Level: W9/P7Range: Touch

Alteration, sub-race: This changeinvolves an alteration within the samegenus, as in a change from gold elf to sil-ver elf or green elf to drow. Note the sub-races of humanity fall into this category.

Components: V, S, MDuration: PermanentCasting Time: 8

Amnesia: This is a total loss of mem-ory (not survival and self-preservationalskills associated with being an adult).

Area of Effect: SpecialSaving Throw: Negates

By touching a victim, the casterbestows a major curse upon him. The cast-er can choose whatever effect or para-meters he wishes from the list of majorcurse effects. The victim is allowed a sav-ing throw vs. spell; if successful, the curseis negated. The material componentrequired is a personal possession of thetarget, which is not consumed in thecasting. Only a wish or the reverse of thisspell, remove major curse, eliminates any

Aura, antipathy: The cursed personradiates an aura that causes creaturessurrounding him to have hostile feelingstowards the PC. Charisma is virtually 10points lower than normal, even amongclose friends and family. All reactionchecks register as hostile.

of the major curse effects.

Aura, attraction: Aside from attractingthe unwanted affection of everyone thePC comes in contact with, the cursedindividual might find himself in the mid-dle of many an armed confrontationbetween two such creatures wanting thePC’s attentions. Note that it is not healthyfor some creatures to be to friendlytoward the accursed (needle men, etc.)

Effect explanationsAge progression: This curse ages the

PC from 10-60 years (10d6) or the demi-human equivalent.

Age regression: This curse makes thePC younger by 10-60 years (10d6).While this may not seem so bad, imag-ine having an adult mentality trapped inthe body of an infant.

Agonizing pain: The PC is wracked bycontinual pain. This reduces Dexterity,reaction time, attack rolls, and any sav-ing throws involving Dexterity, all by 6points. Hit points are reduced by 25% solong as the curse is in effect. Further-more, any spell-casting has a 50%chance of failure.

Alteration, gender: The permanentchange of one’s sex can be most discon-certing.

Alteration, race: An elf may become adwarf; a human a halfling, etc.

Major Curse Effects1. Age progression 14. Conditional petrifica- 26. Polymorph2. Age regression tion 27. Shrinkage3. Agonizing pain 15. Confusion 28. Touch, chilling4. Alteration, gender 16. Deafness 29. Touch, flora wilting5. Alteration, race 17. Deafening voice 30. Touch, petrifaction6. Alteration, sub-race 18. Disfigurement 31. Touch, poison7. Amnesia 19. Gelatinous form 32. Touch, scorching8. Aura, antipathy 20. Growth 33. Touch, shocking9. Aura, attraction 21. Halitosis, deadly 34. Touch, withering10. Blindness 22. Insanity 35. Undeath11. Breathing, air 23. Lycanthropy 36. Vulnerability12. Breathing, water 24. Multiple personalities 37. Weakness13. Conditional death 25. Muteness 38. Withering

DRAGON #229 29

Blindness: Much like the spell of thesame name, this cannot be dispelled byany means other than a wish or a removemajor curse spell.

Breathing, air: Imagine its effect on asea dweller, especially if the recentlycursed person or creature is underwaterat the time the spell is cast.

Breathing, water: This works thesame as the air breathing curse, butaffects those dwelling on land andbreathing air.

Conditional petrification: If thecursed person does a certain act, heturns to stone. The caster decides whicheffect and the trigger. For example, thePC might turn to stone if he is exposed todirect sunlight. Depending on the natureof the casting of the curse, the PC may ormay not know the nature of his problem.A stone to flesh spell dispels the effect ofthis curse.

Conditional death: This is similar toconditional petrification, but it is fatal.

Confusion: Whenever the PC comesunder circumstances of extreme duress(which, consequently, is often foundwhile adventuring) he acts as if under theeffects of a confusion spell.

Deafness: Not being able to hearwhat is said, having to learn to read lips,and having to discover new ways to beaware of one’s surroundings are notenough to stymie any adventurer. Theinability to hear one’s own words (whenunused to being deaf) creates a 25%chance of spell failure during casting. Heis also easily surprised (95%) unless he islooking exactly in the direction someoneis coming from (in which case he is sur-prised normally).

Deafening voice: Every word thatleaves the PC’s mouth comes out deaf-eningly loud. A whisper sounds like 10men shouting, a yell like a flight of drag-ons roaring.

Disfigurement: This is a serious defor-mation of the cursed person or crea-ture’s body.

Gelatinous form: Nearly every being,with the exception of the Tanar’ri lordJuiblex and his contingent of slimes andoozes, agrees that it is a horrible fate tobecome a blob. Spell casting andweapons use are all but impossible.

Growth: Being giant-sized isn’t aproblem? What if you’re a halfling andare suddenly the size of a hill giant? It isup to the DM whether a PC’s clothingand gear grow with him.

Halitosis, deadly: This atrocious caseof bad breath has an effect equal to thatof a cloud kill spell.

Insanity: Often confused with a sim-ple feeblemind spell, this curse is muchmore powerful. Any person attemptingto remove the curse by any other meansis also affected by the curse if they fail asaving throw vs. magic. One who suc-cessfully saves still has a chance ofbecoming confused, as per the spell ofthe same name. Of course, they areallowed a saving throw to prevent this.

Lycanthropy: This is the familiar, age-old curse. The caster chooses what typeof were-creature the accursed becomes.

Multiple personalities: The cursedperson might mistakenly assume that heis having bouts of temporary amnesia.Each of his 3-12 personalities has noknowledge of the others’ existences norrecollection of memories gained bythem.

Muteness: This eliminates ability tocast spells that have a verbal compo-nent.

Polymorph: This is another typicalcurse. Only a wish or a remove major cursespell can return the PC to normal; onecannot use a polymorph other spell toreturn the accursed to his original form.

Shrinkage: This curse turns a man-sized person into a pixie-sized person,etc.

Touch: Several different major cursesinvolve the effect of the PC touchinganother. While some of these may havebeneficial functions in combat, they vir-tually eliminate social interaction. If thereis misuse of the curse (e.g., someonedeliberately giving himself or an ally themajor curse shocking touch and dispellingit after combat), DMs may have the PCfeel nauseated, unable to perform anyactions for 1d4+1 rounds after eachdeliberate “use” of touch major curses. Inany case, gloves or gauntlets do not pre-vent the curses’ effects from being trans-mitted. DMs may even extend the“touch” to any physical contact, not justhands.

Touch, chilling: The accursed person’stouch causes 1-10 hp of freezing dam-age. This cannot harm undead or crea-tures immune to cold. While this can beused as a weapon, it causes problems innormal social interaction.

Touch, flora wilting: Often called thedruid’s bane, this curse is sure to attractthe hostile attention of nature lovers,druids, and forest dwellers, and end anycareer plans in gardening or horticulture.

Touch, petrification: The accursedcan turn flesh to stone by a simple touch.As with other touch curses, the target ofthe spell has no control over whom is

petrified by his touch. While this mayseem a benefit in combat, it soon provesto be a curse.

Touch, poison: The accursed’s touchis instant death. The creatures touchedget a saving throw vs. death magic, butthis is at a penalty of -4. Undead are notaffected.

Touch, scorching: The PC’s touchcauses 1d10 hp of flame damage andignites any exposed combustibles.Unfortunately, the cursed PC’s clothingand equipment are not immune to theeffects of the flames that envelope thePC’s hands.

Touch, shocking: The PC’s graspdelivers a jolt of electricity to the personor creature touched. This causes 1d10 hpdamage. Combustibles on or in closeproximity to the PC are ignited.

Touch, withering: The accursed’stouch acts exactly like that of a staff ofwithering.

Undeath: This is believed to be howskeleton warriors originated. This cursetransforms the PC instantly into anundead creature. He retains all intelli-gence and former abilities The accursedis under the caster’s control unless thecaster does not specify it as so or thecaster dies. A raise dead spell reverses thecurse. DMs may choose to make theundead PC unable to function in day-light, or apply other effects, such as hav-ing the PC’s body begin to decay ordessicate.

Vulnerability: Superman’s bane waskryptonite; what will the PC’s be? It is upto the DM to decide what substanceweakens and destroys the cursed PC.

Weakness: Similar to the minor curseweariness, this is a much more potentspell. The cursed PC is unable to do any-thing for himself. Constant attention byanother will be necessary for daily sur-vival.

Withering: Regardless of how much iseaten or if magical items are employed(such as a ring of sustenance), the PC con-tinues to lose weight until he perishesfrom starvation.

Ed Rice is an optician who lives in Oak Hill,Ohio, with his wife, Dawn, and their two chil-dren, Jessi and Charlie. This is his first appear-ance in DRAGON® Magazine.

If you send queries to DRAGON®Magazine and expect a reply, don’tforget to enclose an SASE (self-addressed, stamped envelope).

3 0 MAY 1996

Magical objectsfrom the India

of songand legend

by Michael Selinkerillustrated by Bob Klasnich

he following items can be used in acampaign based on an Indian cul-ture (or can enter other campaign

settings, as well). In such campaigns,most items in the AD&D® hardcoverbooks can be used, perhaps with a fewmodifications (e.g., a manual of stonegolems may create a juggernaut, which isfrom Indian history). Items that recreatespells like rope trick and snake charm arecommon. Magical weapons and armorare plentiful in Indian legend, includingmany flaming swords. The DungeonMaster is encouraged to add magicalweapons and armor based on items inthe article “Rhino’s Armor, Tiger’s Claws”from DRAGON® Magazine issue #189.

Abkari lotus wineof negotiation

This fruit beverage is used by winesellers (abkari) to ensure smooth businesstransactions, especially with reluctantpartners. When drunk by partners inbusiness dealings, it imparts to all partic-ipants a powerful clarity in forgingagreements. Anyone under the wine’seffects must make a saving throw vs.spell to stall, change the subject, intro-duce irrelevant issues, or leave the dis-cussions before either a contract isreached or an hour has passed. After anagreement is signed under the influenceof the wine, no partner can break theagreement without suffering severeheadaches (-2 to Dexterity and Cha-risma) until the agreement is restored. Alleffects of the wine can be terminatedwith a neutralize poison spell.

XP Value: 600.

Amrita paste of immortalityIf eaten each week and downed with

soma-juice (Legends & Lore, page 132), thissemi-sweet paste of garlic and honeyensures the character will never die of oldage. If a week passes without the

DRAGON #229 33

taste of the amrita, all benefits of eternallife are lost, and if the ingester hasexceeded his maximum lifespan, he dies.While on the paste regimen, no otheraging magic affects the character, regard-less of whether it adds or subtracts years.The character is still subject to death bydisease or murder. Note that the pastedoes not guarantee eternal youth; thecharacter will look as old as he is.

XP Value: 10,000.

Animated rumalThis 20’ strangling cloth of the Thugs

can be worn as a kerchief but also canbe commanded to attack on its own. Itstrikes as a 10th-level thief and inflicts2d4 hp damage on a hit and everyround thereafter until destroyed orordered to cease. The rumal can also beprogrammed to attack the first person toenter an area, but it cannot distinguishbetween targets in this case. The rumalhas AC 6 and 20 hp, which can berepaired by a mending spell. When ani-mated, the rumal has the leverage of an18 (76) Strength for pulling riders fromhorses and other maneuvers. It cannotharm non-breathing creatures or thosewithout necks.

XP Value: 1,250.

Anklet of fiery retributionThis jeweled anklet is given by one

lover to another. If the recipient is killed,fire pours from the heavens in the areaof the death. The heavenly flame causes8d8 hp damage to all within 50’ of thebody (half on a successful saving throwvs. spells). The super-hot flame is likely tospread very quickly. The wearer’s body isalways consumed by the flame. Theeffect occurs regardless of whether theslaying takes place inside or outside.When this happens, the giver of theanklet knows it has occurred, but notwhere or how.

XP Value: 1,300.

Bell of announcementWhen this small handbell is rung by

someone on a journey, the peal is heardat the destination as well. Those experi-enced with this device can determine theapproximate distance of the traveler bythe volume of the peal. No other infor-mation can be imparted, though eachbell has a unique pitch. The bell’s powercan be activated once per day.

XP Value: 800.

Bow and axeof conflicted righteousness

These +3 weapons may be touchedonly by good characters; others suffer2d6 hp damage. The longbow’s stringshakes when brought within 100’ of anybaatezu, tanar’ri, rakshasa, or other evilouter planar creature. An arrow from thebow hitting such a creature inflicts tripledamage; it also causes the creature tomake a successful saving throw vs. spellsor return to its home plane.

The great axe causes a base damageof 2d6, and can only be wielded by goodcharacters with Strengths of at least 17.The axe is Lawful Good, has anIntelligence of 13 and an Ego of 10, andis empathic. The axe’s special purpose isto defeat paladins and Kshatriya. It candetect paladins and Kshatriya within 10’,heal the wielder once per day, and disin-tegrates paladins or Kshatriya who failsaving throws vs. spell. The weapons arealmost never found together.

XP Value: 5,000 for each.

Conch of rendingThis massive seashell trumpet is

designed for use against extra-planarcreatures, especially avatars of deities.When blown, everyone within a half-mile(including the user) must make a savingthrow vs. spell or be stunned for 6d6rounds. Avatars, devas, vampires, andother beings that occupy two planes atonce must make a magic resistancecheck; if the being has, standard magicresistance, there is no save. Unless a suc-cessful magic resistance check is made,the being is ripped from the PrimeMaterial Plane and sent to the otherplane it inhabits. This usually angerscreatures of this level of power, so theuser should expect a return visit. If theuser fails his saving throw, the conch van-ishes.

XP Value: 20,000.

Dhoti of nonviolenceThis white dhoti, a 5’ unsewn cloth

which is wrapped around the lowertorso, can produce a sanctuary - like effectaround a person who wears it as his onlygarment. The dhoti instills an aura ofnonviolence (ahimsa) toward the wearerin all within 50’; those desiring to attackthe wearer must make a saving throwvs. spell to do so. Unlike the sanctuaryspell, the nonviolence aura does notcause the affected creatures to lose trackof the wearer. However, the wearer mustremain totally allied in the situation; the

34 MAY 1996

effect is immediately canceled if thewearer takes any action to help or harmanyone.

XP Value: 3,000.

Ebony mace of waveringThis black great mace +3 causes a

base damage of 2d6 but requires at leasta 17 Strength to use. When wielded by alawful character, the mace also saps onepoint of karma from anyone it hits,regardless of alignment. (This assumesthe character follows karma points; ifnot, there is no additional effect.) Actuallevel is unaffected by the mace.

XP Value: 5,000.

Figurines of wondrous powerThese figurines are in addition to

those listed in the DUNGEON MASTER® Guideand ENCYCLOPEDIA MAGICA™ tome. Each hasan XP Value of 100 per Hit Die.

• Ashoka’s lion kings: At the com-mand word, four smiling lions appear.They are normal adult male lions (AC5/6, 5+2 HD, normal attacks), but theydo not attack unless attacked. Each lionis exceptionally intelligent, Lawful Good,and as versed in the art of oratory aswas the wise king for whom they arenamed. In addition to providing enlight-ening discourse on kindness and justice,the lion kings can benefit their owner byserving as guards, obstacles, or messen-gers. The lion kings remain in existencefor up to a week, but they can be calledonly once a month.

• Bandicoot mount: This figurineappears as a normal-sized rat whencalled. A contingency effect then castsreduce on the owner, shrinking him to 6”tall (a saving throw is allowed if the char-acter is unwilling). The character maythen ride the rat through areas too smallfor normal passage with little chance ofdetection. The bandicoot mount can beridden once a day for up to two hours; ifit is damaged, both rat and rider revert totheir original state instantly.

• Hanuman monkey: On command,this representation of the primate gener-al Hanuman turns into a slender, long-tailed monkey. The monkey has an 18Dexterity and a 95% rating in all thievingskills except Read Languages. The mon-key (AC 3, 2 HD, 1 d6/1d6 damage) per-forms one spying or thieving mission forits owner, retrieving an item or a bit ofinformation before reverting to blockform. It can be used once a day.

• White bull: When activated, the fig-urine transforms into a huge white bul-lock. It has AC 4, and 6+6 HD, and it

inflicts 2d6/2d6 hp damage on goringattacks, but it fights only in self-defense.A yoke or plow can be attached to thebull, which can pull up to 10,000 Ibs. at aMovement Rate of 12. The bull can beused once a day and transforms back torock at sundown.

Flute of silenceWhen a proficient flautist of any class

plays this instrument, it plays a music thatcan be heard only by the dead. This play-ing has the effect of encouraging undeadto move on to their final rest. If the play-er makes a successful proficiency check,the number rolled is compared to apriests turn undead roll at the character’slevel. Any undead against whom the rollis successful must make a saving throwvs. spell or be released from unlife, free tobe reincarnated or reach eternal peace.Undead who are released either disap-pear completely or abandon their corpo-real frames. This effect works evenagainst undead tied to specific places orwedded to curses and can also eliminateundead in possession of living creatures.The flautist must play the flute for a sin-gle round, and any undead creature notreleased by the playing may attack theflautist.

XP Value: 6,000.

Linen armor of displacementThis black Iinen armor has a base AC

of 9 with a bonus of +2. Better than mostlight quilted linen armors (see the article“Rhino’s Armor, Tiger’s Claws”), it adds+15% to a rogue’s Move Silently andClimb Walls abilities. In addition, themagic on the armor allows the wearer todimension door through any opening hecan enter to another opening of thesame type within sight. Thus, a wearercould jump through one open window ina room and enter through another, orhop into one large basket and appear inanother. The magic works only if thecharacter is completely out of everyone’ssight for at least an instant. A rogue mayuse the magic of this armor at the end ofa round where he has attacked.

XP Value: 1,200.

Mandala of psychic devotionRepresenting the cosmos, this man-

dala is a 5’ diameter red wheel contain-ing several concentric circles and othershapes, each bearing an image of a dif-ferent god. An ascetic, Yogi, or otherpsionic character uses this to show hisdevotion (bhakti) to unlocking the secretsof the human mind. When sitting in this

mandala, the user gets a Wisdom checkto gain a new spell or psionic devotionwhen advancing a level. These advance-ments cannot raise the maximum num-ber of spells per level, nor award newpsionic sciences or disciplines.

XP Value: 1,800.

Rani of Jhansi’s saddle(This item is named for the princess,

or rani, who fought against the British Rajuntil she was killed in her saddle.) Thissaddle allows the rider to continue fight-ing even after he is slain. The saddle ani-mates the rider as long as the battle isjoined, allowing combat until the enemyis slain, surrenders or retreats, the rider’sside retreats, or the rider’s mount is inca-pacitated. Once any of these conditionsoccurs, the rider drops dead immediatelyif he is at zero or fewer hit points. Whileunder the saddle’s animating effects, ifthe rider stops fighting for any reason,he dies instantly.

XP Value: 3,000.

Rod of monsoon controlThis powerful and dangerous rod can

be used only by a mage or a priest withaccess to the Weather sphere. It cannotbe recharged and can only be used inareas conducive to monsoon conditions,generally tropical or subtropical areasnear coastlines.

The rod creates an ultra-powerful con-trol weather effect over an area ofbetween 100 and 1,000 square miles, atthe caster’s discretion. On the hour afterthe spell is triggered and every hourthereafter, the precipitation, wind andtemperature can each be moved onestep in the same direction. The conditionof monsoon (one step beyond heavyrain, sweltering heat, and hurricane) maybe reached or dispelled. Monsoonscause siege damage as by a screw ordrill on all structures and trees in thearea of effect, and unmoored ships mustall make seaworthiness checks (seeDUNGEON MASTER Guide, pages 105 and170).

Creatures that cannot take adequatecover on high ground must makeConstitution checks to avoid drowning.At this level of storm, the rod user will beplaying with the most powerful elemen-tal forces, and must maintain absoluteconcentration. The caster must make aWisdom check every hour; if the casterfails the check or is interrupted, the effecteither ceases or stays at monsoon levelfor 1d12 days, if this condition was ineffect during use. The caster may expend

36 MAY 1996

another charge and try again in an hour.Monsoons can kill thousands anddestroy entire cities, so caution is urged.

XP Value: 15,000.

Sapling wandThis wand appears to be a thin and

flexible sapling branch, though it has thestrength of adamantite. The wand allowsthe user to expend a charge and ignoreall effects of natural or magical wind,from a gust of wind spell to an air ele-mental’s whirlwind for 3d4 turns. If twocharges are expended, the user can elim-inate the wind effect in question; air ele-mentals and such creatures must savevs. wand or be banished. The saplingwand may be recharged.

XP Value: 3,000.

Shakuntala’s ring of memoryThis ring is named for the forest

nymph who wore a nonmagical versionof it in a classical Indian story. Whenanyone touches the ring on the wearer’shand, it telepathically communicates toboth parties the complete details of allprevious meetings. The DM should pro-vide both with any details they cannotremember.

XP Value: 1,000.

Sitar of clarityA bard or sitarist who makes a profi-

ciency check can use this double-gourd-ed stringed instrument to weave an effectsimilar to an om spell (see “Arcane Lore:Monsoons and the Power of Om” inDRAGON® Magazine issue #226). Thesoothing music can fill an enclosed spaceor a 100’ radius outside. Anyone in thatspace who is focusing on reading orprayer can do so at a 50% faster pace(including regaining spells). However,anyone who is trying to hear any othersound must make a Wisdom check;otherwise, all he can hear is the sitar. Theeffects cease when the sitarist stopsplaying.

XP Value: 1,500.

Spinning wheel of dharmaThread from this skein can be woven

into a garment keyed to an individual. Ifone dies wearing such a garment, thegarment can be rewoven into anotherthat will mystically be the exact size forhis reincarnation. (See Legends & Lore,page 126.) Various spells and items —crystal balls, reincarnation sight, clairvoy-ance and so on — can then be used tolocate the reincarnation if focused uponthe garment. If the garment is then worn

by the individual, he receives all memo-ries of his previous incarnation.

XP Value: 4,000.

Spirit whiskThis brush-like whisk can be used to

clear an area of unseen spirits. Thewhisker may brush clean a 10’ x 10’ areaper round. After this occurs, any invisibleor intangible creature must move out ofthe area and cannot move back whilethe wielder is present. For example, awielder about to be attacked by an invis-ible stalker can whisk himself a shelterfrom that monster, who cannot attackuntil the wielder moves from the area.Those actively trying to stay are entitledto a saving throw vs. spells. The whiskseffect does not work on a creature tied toa specific area, such as a haunt; such acreature will not be able to attack thewielder as long as he holds the whisk,however.

XP Value: 2,000.

Tandava drum andtambourine of deva presence

When both of these percussion instru-ments are played by proficient priests ortheir disciples, all monsters of up to Semi-Intelligence within hearing must makesaving throws vs. spell. Those failingbelieve that the PCs are guarded by pow-

erful divine creatures and do not attackunless attacked first. Even if attacked, thecreatures will seek to flee at the firstopportunity. If the playing ceases, theawe effect wears off and the creatureswill most likely attack with fervor.

XP Value: 3,500 for both.

Tome of spyingThe Artha Shastra (“Textbook of

Material Matters”) is an ancient hand-book on counter-espionage againstthose within one’s own ranks, especiallyspouses and close allies. It describesthousands of ways the owner’s confi-dantes might betray him. If the ownerwrites on one of its 32 blank centralpages the name of someone who claimsto be an ally, an unseen servant is created.The servant follows the person in ques-tion until called back, at which time itreports all activity which could be consid-ered traitorous. The servants are as creat-ed by the spell, and they can be detectedand destroyed in the manners describedthere. In this manner, the owner canhave up to 32 persons at once followedand observed. Once an owner hasinscribed a page with a name, that pagecannot be rewritten. But when the bookchanges hands, the pages return to theirblank state, and all previously createdunseen servants are destroyed. It should

DRAGON #229 37

come as no surprise that the Artha Shastrahas been handed down through the agesthrough theft and murder.

XP Value 5,000.

Trees, magicalThough not actually magical “items,”

certain trees are laden with magic pow-ers that can be harnessed. They cannotbe “created” but can be carefully grownover time (XP Value: 4,000 each). Severalvarieties exist:

• Flame-of-the-woods tree: This shortmadder tree has five-bulbed red flowersthat shake and glow when the roots canfind water. If carefully clipped andwrapped in honey-soaked leaves, thesebulbous flowers can be thrown as mis-siles from the fire seeds spell. The flowersremain potent for up to a full day if theyare kept damp.

• Moksha mango tree: The sweet fruitof this tree may be eaten only by onewho believes he has been faithful to hiscalling and faith; the slightest doubtcauses a permanent loss of a point ofWisdom. An ingester without doubt sub-mits himself for summary divine judge-ment. If the gods agree that the eaterhas been true through his life, he is killedand given “release” (moksha) from rein-carnation; this ends his journey. If thegods have reasons for keeping him

incarnate, the character suffers no illeffects. Note that this works both for thepure paladin and the dark Thug.

l Wool tree: First reported in India bythe Greek traveler Herodotus, the wooltree bears an exceptionally strong typeof wool where other trees have fruit orflowers. The wool, which otherwiseresembles that of a white sheep, can bespun into cotton cloth with the strengthof plate mail. This cotton is especiallyripe for enchantment and gives a +1bonus to all rolls on enchant an itemspells cast upon it.

distance of 30’. Everyone looking at thefront of the pinwheel must save vs. spellor be blinded for 4d4 rounds. In addition,each evil creature struck by the lightmust make another saving throw vs.spell or suffer 1d4 hp damage for eachof its points of karma. (For non-Indian—kit characters or monsters, useLevel or Hit Dice.) This effect does notharm neutral or good creatures.

XP Value: 2,500.

Wrist threads ofspirit protection

Vajra arrowsThese +3 vajra arrows turn into bolts of

lightning when fired. When an arrowstrikes a target, it delivers 2d6+3 hp elec-trical damage and creates a thunderclapwhich requires the victim and all within20’ to save vs. paralyzation or bestunned for 1d4+1 rounds. The vajraarrows are usually found in batches of upto five, and each can be used onceregardless of whether it hits the target.

The raksha threads are worn about thewrists in various rituals, especially insummer. These magical threads arewards against evil spirits, acting as a per-manent protection from evil. In addition,the threads allow the wearer to seethrough the illusions of evil spirits,including the similarly named rakshasa.The wrist threads cannot be touched byevil spirits or their magic.

XP Value: 750.

XP Value: 400 each.

Wheel of light raysThis cross with bent spokes (the

Sanskrit su-asti) can be spun like a pin-Michael Selinker is a game designer who

wheel. When so spun, the wheel emits alives in Seattle, Washington.This is the final

blinding kaleidoscopic array of light to ainstallment in his trilogy of articles based onan Indian culture.

38 MAY 1996

By Chris PerryIllustrated by Scott Rosema

New kits:Frost Wizards, Fiend Slayers, and Spiritualists

n today’s AD&D® game, there are many kits available to wiz-ard PCs. There is still room, however, for a few more kits — afew more choices for those who’re bored perhaps jaded with

what they have. This article presents the frost wizard, fiendslayer, and spiritualist. The frost wizard bears special mentionas it as a sub-class of wizard rather than a kit, so it is handledsomewhat differently.

The frost wizardDescription: The frost wizard is a rare kind of elementalist

mage, one who specializes in a mixture of two schools of ele-mental magic. In this case, the mixture is air and water, whichhe uses to create spells of ice, frost, and cold. Since the ele-mental planes of air and water meet to form the para-elemental plane of ice, many consider frost wizards to be para-elementalists rather than elementalists, but this is more a sub-ject of syntactic debate among sages. What matters to frostwizards is that their brand of magic has a power all its own.

Until recently, ice magic wasn’t really a specialty. There wereshamans among the Viking-like peoples who possessed someskill with it, but they were few and far between. Now magescalling themselves frost wizards, with skills equal to those ofother elementalists, have begun making their way through thenorthern land.

Their school is rather limited, making frost mages carefulabout how they operate. It should come as no surprise that thenorthlands are where the school is strongest.

Requirements: None.Races Allowed: Elves, half-elves, and humans.

receive a +2 bonus on saves against cold-based spells, andopponents suffer a -2 penalty on saves against such spellswhen cast by frost wizards.

Spell Learning: Frost wizards gain a +25% bonus to learnspells of elemental ice, with a +15% bonus to learn spells of ele-mental air and water. Unlike their more conventional elemen-talist cousins, they suffer no penalty to learn non-elementalmagic, but they are expressly forbidden to use spells of ele-mental earth and fire.

Benefits: Frost wizards can memorize an extra spell per spelllevel so long as at least one of the spells is of their specialty.

Ice-based spells are reduced by one level with regard to dif-ficulty when researched by frost wizards. Frost wizards above15th level need not concentrate on summoned ice elementalsto control them. The 5% chance of elementals turning uponthem remains in effect until they reach 20th level.

Damage from cold-based spells cast by frost wizards isincreased by one point/die of damage. Damage to frost wizardsfrom cold-based spells is decreased by 1 hp per die of damage.

Disadvantages: Frost wizards are forbidden to learn spells ofelemental earth and fire. Also, since their school of magic hasonly recently risen from its primitive origins, frost wizards arelimited in their choice of cold-based spells (see below for listand new spells). They have the unfortunate distinction of hav-ing an even more limited range of spells than necromancers.

Suggested Kits: Anagakok, Amazon Sorceress, MilitantWizard, Savage Wizard, Witch, Wu Jen.

Spells: The frost wizard’s specialty, the elemental school ofice, is provided here in full. Some are new, others are already

well-known, and the rest are reversals of stan-Saving Throw Modifiers: Frost wizards dard spells.

DRAGON #229 41

School of Elemental Cold1st Level:Chill (new)Endure cold (adapted clerical spell)Freezing hands (reversal/Burning

Hands)Ice burst (reversal/fireburst, Tome of Magic)Snilloc’s snowball (FORGOTTEN REALMS®

Adventures)

2nd Level:Chill metal (reversal/heat metal, adapt-

ed clerical spell)Frost sphere (reversal/flaming sphere)Ice knife (Complete Wizard’s Handbook)Resist cold (adapted clerical spell)Snilloc’s snowball swarm (FORGOTTEN

REALMS® Adventures)Snow tread (new)

3rd Level:Freeze tire (new)Frost trap (reversal/fire trap)Ice claws (new)Icelance (FORGOTTEN REALMS Adventures)

4th Level:Control temperature 10’ Radius (adapted

clerical spell, can’t raise tempera-ture to above 55°F using this spell)

Frost shield (reversal/chill form of fireshield only)

Ice stormWall of ice

5th Level:Cone of coldConjure elemental (no ice needed to

summon ice elemental)

6th Level:Ice Magic (new)Otiluke’s freezing sphere

7th Level:Ice mephits (new)

8th Level:Laruin’s blinding blizzard (new)

9th Level:Elemental aura (Tome of Magic)Ice swarm (reversal/meteor swarm)

Chill(Evocation)1st level:Range: 30’Components: V, SDuration: 2-5 roundsCasting Time: 1Area of Effect: One creatureSaving Throw: Negates

This spell creates an area of intensecold around the target, causing it toshiver regardless of how much clothingor fur is worn. For the duration of thespell, the target moves at half-speed andsuffers a -2 penalty on attack and dam-age rolls provided he fails a savingthrow vs. magic. An interesting side-effect of the chill spell is that, if it is caston a target under the effects of a chillmetal spell, the target suffers a -2 penal-ty on Armor Class as well. Note that aresist cold spell (or any other related pro-tective magic) prevents this fromworking.

Snow Tread(Alteration, Enchantment)2nd levelRange: 10’Components: V, S, MDuration: 1 hour per levelCasting Time: 5Area of Effect: One creature per levelSaving Throw: None

This rather simple but valuable spellallows those affected to tread throughsnow without fear of slipping and attheir normal movement rate, thus mak-ing it possible for the recipients to travelthrough terrain covered with ice andsnow without being bogged down(ignore modifiers for snow when deter-mining the daily movement rate for theparty, including the approximate timeneeded to complete the trip). Anotherbenefit offered by this spell is that itmakes it harder for others to follow theparty, for it magically brushes snow intothe tracks behind them (-3 penalty ontop of all other tracking modifiers).

Up to five creatures can be affectedby the snow tread spell, plus one addi-tional creature per level of the casterover 5th level (a total of 10, maximum).The material component of the spell isthe snow or ice that is to be traversed, inwhich the caster traces the last words ofthe spell (a sure sign that the spell is ineffect is that the traced words are sweptaway by its magic).

Freezefire(Alteration)3rd levelRange: 5’ per levelComponents: V, SDuration: SpecialCasting Time: 3Area of Effect: SpecialSaving Throw: Special

Freezefire is an unusual spell thatallows the caster to freeze one or more

fires within range, whether natural ormagical, into inert blue ice, thus allow-ing it to be touched or handled withoutharm. Up to one 5’ x 5’ sphere of flame(normal or magical) is transformed intoblue ice for every four experience levels,and its duration is permanent withregard to normal fire. As for magical fire,it is affected in the following ways: If ithasn’t manifested yet (e.g., a fireball fly-ing through the air), it stays inert for 3-5rounds (the aforementioned fireballwould fall to the ground as a lifelesslump of ice and sulphur); If the magicalfire is already in effect (e.g., a wall of fire),the spell causes it (or a part of it, if it istoo large for the caster to affect com-pletely) to turn to blue ice for the spaceof 1 round per level of the caster. Whilefrozen, it can be physically touched,even broken, without ruining the spell.Thus, part of a wall of fire that has beenfrozen could be broken down and onecould pass through unscathed, while thefrozen lump that was a fireball could bepicked up and thrown a few rounds laterfor the usual effects. It doesn’t affect fire-based spells of 5th level or higher, nordoes it prevent a dragon or chimerafrom breathing flame unless it was cast1 round previously. In that case, thecreature is allowed a saving throw vs.spell to resist its effects, and, if the saveis failed, it is unable to breathe flame for2-3 rounds.

Ice Claws(Conjuration, Evocation) 3rd levelRange: 0Components: V, S, MDuration: 1 round per levelCasting Time: 3Area of Effect: The casterSaving Throw: None

Casting this spell brings into being adisembodied pair of icy, clawed hands,totally under the control of the caster.The caster can attack twice per roundwith these claws as a fighter half hislevel, causing 1-3 hp damage each plusan additional 1-4 hp cold damage(those with resistance to cold suffer noadditional damage from the cold). Theycan be used to attack someone up to 30yards away from the caster, and on anatural roll of 20 the claw(s) havesecured a hold on the target, causingautomatic claw and cold damage everyround thereafter. The material compo-nent of this spell is a pair of crystal clawsconnected to a small brass chain, all ofwhich is worth 5 gp.

42 MAY 1996

Ice Magic(Alteration, Elemental Ice)6th levelRange: 120 yds.Components: V, SDuration: SpecialCasting Time: 6Area of Effect: SpecialSaving Throw: Special

Ice magic is a special spell that allowsthe caster to shape ice and snow, to for-tify current ice-based spells, or to controlice-related creatures within the caster’srange. The caster must choose how hewishes to use it, with the followingeffects:

1. To shape ice: The caster can shapeexisting ice into bridges, ladders, and thelike, up to one 10’ x 10’ square per level.If there is enough ice on the ground, hecan choose to create sharp jags of icewith the same damaging effects as thespike stones spell, while large ice stalac-tites on the ceiling could be formed thatwould cause 1-8 hp damage each (nomore than one large ice “stalactite” perthree experience levels). The effects last1 turn per level.

2. To fortify ice and cold spells: Theduration of all such spells (such as wall ofice) can be doubled, except for thosewith instantaneous effects. Ice spells thatcause damage are deadlier (+1 hp dam-age per Hit Die of damage). The spellmust be cast 3 rounds before the spell tobe fortified is cast.

3. To control ice creatures: Beingsfrom the para-elemental plane of ice canbe dominated by the caster (as the 5th-level wizard spell), one target per round.Once one being fails its save, it servesthe caster unquestioningly until hechooses to dominate some other suchcreature. This lasts for 1 round per level.

The material component of this spellis ice, which is required for all castingsexcept when the second option is cho-sen (some spells to be fortified areinstantaneous, so they cannot be castbeforehand).

Summon Ice Mephits(Conjuration/Summoning)7th levelRange: 30 yardsComponents: V, S, MDuration: 5 rounds + 1 round per levelCasting Time: 6Area of Effect: SpecialSaving Throw: None

This spell is very similiar to the morecommon monster summoning spells,except that it summons 2-7 ice mephits.

These little fiends arrive in 1-2 roundsthrough a small portal from the Para-elemental plane of ice, ready to wreakhavoc upon the summoner’s enemies.There’s an 80% chance that the mephitscome as desired, a 10% chance that anequal number of ice trolls come throughinstead, and a 10% chance that anotherice or arctic-related creature comesthrough (see below):

Anomaly Table (d10)1 Cryohydra (1)2-3 Frost Giant (1-2)4-7 Ice Toad (2-5)8 Remorhaz (1)9-10 Winter Wolf (2-4)The material component for this spell

is a cup of snow or ice (this, as withmany other ice-related spells, isn’t nec-essary if the caster is a frost wizard). Itshould also be noted that wizards cast-ing this spell in the FORGOTTEN REALMS®campaign can choose to summon 2d8frost sprites instead.

Laruin’s Blinding Blizzard(Alteration, Conjuration/Summoning)8th levelRange: 0Components: V, S, MDuration: 2-6 hoursCasting Time: 2 roundsArea of Effect: 2-5 mile radiusSaving Throw: None

This variant of the control weatherspell allows the caster to more reliablybring about chilly, snowy weather, for itsummons magical cold through a tem-porary conduit connected to the ele-mental plane of ice.

In the first half-hour black and grayclouds begin forming and the tempera-ture drops by 5°F per turn. The winds,meanwhile, start picking up within 3turns of casting the spell, increasing froma strong breeze in the first hour to a galeby the second hour. Snow begins to fallwithin 1 turn of the spell’s casting, verylight at first, but increasing to a blindingfury at the end of the second hour (1’ ofsnow drops to the ground per hour).

Creatures caught within the blizzard’s2-5 mile radius can move at 1/6 their nor-mal rate at best, will have their visionlimited to 10’ in front of them, and musteither have very thick clothing or beimpervious to the cold or else suffer a -1penalty to attack and damage rolls aswell as 1-2 hp cold damage per turn(Those with padded armor, hide, andheavy armors with AC values of 4 andbelow suffer 1-2 hp damage every otherturn, but the attack penalties remain).NPC’s without adequate protection mustmake Morale checks before attemptingto enter the blizzard’s area of effect. Thecaster, meanwhile, is protected from theblizzard’s effects in a 15’ radius, hisvision unhampered, and can movethrough the snow at his normal move-ment rate (these benefits also accrue tohis companions, if they’re within the 15’radius). The blizzard begins to lessenonly during the last half-hour of the spell,and if the conditions were already favor-able then the snow continues (lightly) foranother 2-3 hours. Lastly, there is a 10%chance per hour that an ice elemental orsome other cold creature is encountered(choose from the list of creatures foundunder the summon ice mephits spell, orroll on the Arctic Encounters table). Thematerial component of Laruin’s Mindingblizzard is a ring of silver enclosedaround a piece of smoky white quartz.

The fiend slayerDescription: Fiend slayers are wiz-

ards who have taken it upon them-selves to learn about the lower planesand their denizens; and it is fiend slayerswho have chosen to combat them.While many such mages choose this kitout of sense of duty (perhaps gettinginvolved initially due to curiosity), manymore become fiend slayers due to per-sonal loss at the hands of tanar’ri,baatezu, or other fiends, and are notabout to let it happen again.

Preferred/Barred Schools: This kit isbest suited for conjurers, but all wizards

New Proficiency

Lower Plane Knowledge(2 slots, Intelligence, -2) This proficiency gives the character some knowl-

edge about a particular lower plane — who lives there, what’s needed to surviveor get there, etc. The character doesn’t have automatic knowledge of spell keys,but he does have some knowledge of what kinds of magic may be affected(proficiency check required).

Note that if the PLAYER’S OPTION™: Skills & Powers book is being used, this skillcosts 4 slots and starts at a base score of 7.

DRAGON #229 43

are eligible to take this kit.Ability Score Requirements: An min-

imum of 16 in Intelligence or Wisdom.Secondary Skills: None.Weapon Proficiencies: Any weapons

normally allowed to wizards.Non-Weapon Proficiencies: Bonus:

Lower plane knowledge (new). Required:Ancient/modern languages (choose onethat would aid in researching extrapla-nar matters), reading/writing. Recom-mended: Ancient history.

Equipment: Fiend slayers start out asany other wizard, but they are requiredto purchase an extra spellbook (about200 gp value), most of which is set asidefor writing down what they learn aboutthe planes and planar creatures theyspecialize in. Holy water and silveredweapons are also useful.

Special Benefits: Major/Minor Studies:At the beginning of their careers, fiendslayers must choose to concentrate theirstudies on one plane in particular: theAbyss, Baatezu, Gehenna, etc. By doingso, they gain certain bonuses withregard to that particular plane or itsinhabitants. They receive a +2 onnetherworld knowledge checks whenseeking knowledge about that plane.Fiend slayers also have an easier timelearning how to cast magic properlythere (if the PLANESCAPE™ campaign set-ting is used, fiend slayers know two ran-dom spell keys of their choice at thestart, and are allowed one Intelligencecheck to learn another spell key forevery two experience levels attainedbeyond 1st level). At 11th level, a fiendslayer is considered an expert on sub-jects related to his major plane (equal toa sage). He may choose another plane ofexistence to specialize in at 15th level.

Fiend Detection: This ability is equalto the extra-dimensional detection spellfound in the Tome of Magic (as per the3rd-level priest spell). This ability can beused once a day for every two levels ofexperience and is double-range whenthe fiend slayer is attempting to detectthe type of creature he gets a bonuswith (see below).

Creature Bonus: Because of theirexpertise, fiend slayers gain certainbonuses when dealing with a specificrace. This is often a race that the wizardholds a grudge against, and one whichmust be native to or common on theplane the mage has majored in. In com-bat with this chosen creature, the fiendslayer receives a +1 bonus on all savingthrows against attacks made by therace, and the magic resistance of such

44 MAY 1996

creatures is lowered by 10% in magicalattacks made by the fiend slayer (includ-ing summonings, charming attempts, orother castings that the creature wouldview in as hostile). Creature typesinclude baatezu, gehreleth, mephit,tanar’ri, etc. At 9th level, fiend slayersreceive a +2 bonus (total) on saveswhen attacked by the creatures in ques-tion (penalties to fiends remainunchanged).

Special Hindrances: Fiend slayers suf-fer from the great expense of theirresearches, even as compared to othermagical studies. Reference materials arehard to come by, so they must either paythrough the nose (at a 200% mark-up) orspend double the time compiling thisknowledge. In addition, fiend slayers arerequired to slay at least one specimen oftheir chosen enemy in order to advanceeach level beyond 7th level (number ofHit Dice equal to the wizard’s level). Thismust be done each time the fiend slayerreceives enough experience points toadvance to another level.

Races Allowed: Any race that haswizards.

The SpiritualistRole: The spiritualist is a wizard who

has been gifted with the ability to senseunseen spirits and to communicate withthem. Most are born with this abilitychoose to become psionicists or priests,but the spiritualist finds that it helps thecause of wizardry equally well, particu-larly that of necromancy.

Spiritualist know that somethingmore exists beyond their own existence.They believe that that some form oforder exists in the netherworld, regard-less of the culture they come from. Assuch, only Lawful or Neutral charactersmay take this kit.

Preferred/Barred Schools: Necro-mancers are most likely to be spiritual-ists, and they make excellent ones.None are barred, except for enchanters,illusionists, and transmuters.

Abilility Score Requirements: 16Wisdom.

Secondary Skills: None.Weapon Proficiencies: Any.Nonweapon Proficiencies: Bonus:

Religion. Required: Ancient history, read-ing/writing, spellcraft.

Equipment: Same as other wizards.Special Benefits: Spirit Sense: Spiritual-

ists have the ability to sense and see spir-its within 15 yards. As the spirit comescloser, the surroundings dim in the wiz-

ard’s sight, and the spirit glows (if sight is Chris Perry is pursuing a political scienceblocked by walls and such, the objects degree. He lives in Northern California on adim even further and a faint glow can be small orchard farm with 12 cats. This is hisseen upon the obstructing object). If the fourth article in the pages of DRAGON®DM uses The Complete Psionicist’s Magazine.Handbook, it can be treated as a “wild tal-ent,” replete with psionic points andsuch. If not, this ability can be used onceeach day for each three experience lev-els of the wizard, each use lasting 1 turnper level.

Invisibility to undead: Once a day, spir-itualists can render themselves invisibleto undead (as per the cleric spell), lasting1 round per level.

Speak with dead: Beginning at the3rd level, spiritualists gain the abil-ity to speak with the dead threetimes a day. No material compo-nents are needed, and the deadspirit can be communicated witheven if the skull lacks a lower jaw.(No bones are needed, if noncorporealundead are the target of this spell).

Protection from spirits: At 7th level, thespiritualist has enough knowledge ofspirits that he can pen a protection scrollthat protects against ghosts, poltergeists,wraiths, and other noncorporeal undead.It costs 750 gp and takes a month towrite, and it protects against 17 Hit Diceworth of spirits. Only one such scroll canbe in the spiritualists possession at anytime, and it can only be used once a day

Special Hindrances:Spiritualists have abilities that somepriests feel overlaps into their ownprovince, and as such they some-times receive more negative reac-tions from them than is normal. Thus,they suffer an initial -2 reaction rollpenalty when dealing with priests. Also,spiritualists sometimes suffer from haunt-ings, whereupon a (more or less) harm-less lesser spirit decides to attach itself tothe wizard, most likely taking “residence”in some object he possesses (or perhapshis home). The spirit may pop up at oddhours to talk to the wizard, rearrange hisspell components as a prank, etc., andstays unless it is destroyed or drivenaway by a priest. There’s a base 15%chance per level gained beyond 3rd level(non-cumulative) that a spirit latches on.This can be very disconcerting or hilari-ous, according to the DM’s wishes, andsuch spirits could become val-ued NPCs to interact with).

Races Allowed: Humansand half-elves.

DRAGON #229 45

by Skip Williams10th level ranger, 10-level druid

STRENGTH: 18/29INTELLIGENCE: 13WISDOM: 18DEXTERITY: 15CONSTITUTION: 16CHARISMA: 16AC: -1 (2 from the rear)THAC0: 11 (10 w/ Str. bonus)HIT POINTS: 81ALIGNMENT: NGSPECIAL ATTACKS: 3/2 rndsSPECIAL DEFENSES NilMAGIC RESISTANCE: immune to woodland creature charm

spells, +2 to saves vs. fire/electrical(Druid); + 4 magical defense (Wis.)

Special Abilities/Bonuses: +1 to hit, +3 dmg (Str.); shape-change 3 x/day (Druid).

Weapon proficiencies: Club, sickle, dart, spear, scimitar,sling, staff.

Nonweapon proficiencies: Musical instrument (recorder), rid-ing (horses), swimming, healing, animal lore, read/write com-mon, read/write elvish, tracking.

Languages: Common, elf, dwarf, druid, gnoll, centaur, greendragon, nixie, pixie, sprite, treant.

Spells per day: 6, 6, 4, 4, 2.

Magical items: Scimitar +5 defender, dagger +1 flametongue,elven chain mail +3, shield + 1, ring of free action, ring of warmth,dust of disappearance (4 packets), boots of elvenkind, pouch ofaccessibility, amulet of the planes.

Equipment: Tylk keeps his elven chain mail hidden under aloose blouse with long sleeves and a pair of baggy trousers. Hedoesn’t care if people notice his armor, but he doesn’t want themetal glinting in the sun and making him visible from a dis-tance outdoors. He also carries a sling and a pouch of 20 bul-lets in his pouch of accessibility, along with several darts. Hekeeps three normal daggers strategically placed behind hisneck, behind his right thigh, and in his right boot. He carries hismagical dagger strapped to his left wrist. He almost always hasa small supply of goodberries (from the 2nd-level priest spell)with him, and he is never without his apple wood recorder. Heusually carries about 2,000 gp worth of assorted coins, gems,and jewelry.

When traveling on the Prime Material Plane, Tylk is usuallyaccompanied by an adult cooshee (elven dog) named SirGawain, and he rides a bay light war horse named Parzifal.

Appearance: Tylk is a 39-year-old half elf who stands 5’ 7”tall and weighs 151 pounds. He is very muscular and evenstronger than he looks. Tylk has a strong, square chin, highcheekbones, and almond-shaped, green eyes. His shoulderlength hair is silver blond and wavy. His locks usually cover hispointed ears, but that does nothing to conceal his elven her-itage.

Background: Tylk was born and raised on his wealthyhuman father’s farm. When Tylk was still a child, his mothergrew tired of being married to a human and slipped away onenight. Though the family servants took care of him, he was nota happy child. As soon as he was old enough to play with thechildren on the neighboring farms, he learned he was different.Worse, he was slow to mature because he was a half-elf, andhe was always a little slower, a little weaker, and a little lessclever than human children his age. Even his father tended tobe impatient with him, because he didn’t understand that Tylkneeded a little extra time to develop.

When Tylk was an adolescent, he did a favor for a crusty oldranger who took a liking to the troubled youth. The manbecame Tylk’s friend and mentor, teaching him the rudimentsof combat, outdoor skills, and priestly magic. Tylk also learnednot to be ashamed of his race and not to allow himself or any-one else to be mistreated.

Role-playing Notes: Tylk remembers the lessons of his child-hood well. He is race-blind, seeing every person as a uniqueindividual. He is not easily fooled or bluffed, and he can neverbe bullied. Though he’s not exactly claustrophobic, he dislikesenclosed places. (He once spent the better part of a day lockedin a trunk as the result of a prank). Tylk prefers the open sky toa roof over his head. He respects authority, but only when itacts responsibly and sensibly. Tylk tends to treat everyone hemeets as an equal.

DRAGON #229 4 7

ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS®

Friday, May 31 is going to be heresooner than you think. That’s the last dayyou can call the ADVANCED DUNGEONS &DRAGONS® TRIVIATHLON™: The ArcaneChallenge Clue Line for assistance in cor-rectly answering the 100 trivia questionsin TSR’s biggest contest ever. Then you’vegot just two more weeks to get youranswers to TSR.

All entries must be received by TSR bythe close of business on June 15, 1996.No faxed or mechanically reproducedentries will be accepted.

If you’re like many players, you prob-ably found many of the questions a cinchto answer. If you’re having trouble,though, please do not ask TSR employ-ees (including Rob Taylor and TSR onlinestaff members) for answers.

Instead, call the AD&D® TRIVIATHLONClue Line TSR has established for every-one who needs a clue or two. Each dayyou will receive a different, prerecordedclue for one, or possibly two, of the 100TRIVIATHLON questions in sequential order.The Clue Line began on March 1, 1996with the clue for Question #1. The lastday you can get a clue, which will be theclue for Question #100, is May 31, 1996.These clues are available for one dayonly and will not be repeated on anyother day.

You can get a new clue (or two) everyday beginning at 8 A.M. Eastern StandardTime.

Think of the incredible prizes:

l First Prize is your choice of a trip fortwo to either the Spanish GENCON® GameFair in Barcelona held in November,1997, or the Euro GENCON Game Fair inEngland in September, 1997 First Prizeincludes airfare, accommodations, freeadmission, and $500 in spending money.

It�s a raceagainst time towin fantastic

prizes!by Jeanine N. Mielecki

• Second Prize is a trip for two to theU.S. GENCON Game Fair in Milwaukee,Wisconsin in August, 1997. Second Prizeincludes airfare, accommodations, freeadmission, $500 in spending money, andfirst chance at participating in all TSR-sponsored gaming events.

• Third Prize is the Great Red Dragon,a solid pewter, limited-edition Ral Parthaminiature, with a retail value of $125. It isa rare flight of the imagination that cap-tures in magnificent detail the great reddragon as popularized by TSR artist JeffEasley.

Of course, no purchase is necessary toenter or win the contest.

Print your answers legibly in blue orblack ink on your AD&D TRIVIATHLONContest Entry Poster, and mail it to thisaddress — AD&D TRIVIATHLON Contest, TSR,Inc., 201 Sheridan Springs Road, LakeGeneva, WI 53147 — with plenty of timefor TSR to receive it by June 15, 1996.

The winners will be selected at ran-dom from entries containing correctanswers to all 100 AD&D TRIVIATHLONquestions on or about August 10 at the1996 GENCON game fair in Milwaukee,Wisconsin.

If no entry contains correct answersto all 100 questions, winners will beselected at random from the entries con-taining the highest number of correctanswers.

For complete contest rules and details,see the AD&D TRIVIATHLON: The ArcaneChallenge Contest Entry Poster that wasincluded with the polybagged Marchissue of DRAGON Magazine (issue #227)and was distributed by TSR DRAGON®Month retailers in March.

The ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® TRIVIATHLON™: The Arcane Challenge is open only to residents of the continental United States.

4 8 MAY 1996

By Barry A. A. DillingerIllustrated by Fred Fields

Bringing a new dimension to your magehe dimensional wizard has been around for quite sometime but is only now beginning to surface, much likethat of the elemental wizard (see the Tome of Magic for

information on the elementalist). These specialist wizards, likethe elementalists, are not predisposed to accepting the magi-cal classification system of schools (necromancy, alteration,invocation/evocation, etc.) and favor a more natural under-standing of magic. The result is dimensionalism.

Dimensionalism is not a school but an area of specializationfocusing on extraplanar spells. Dimensionalists (as wizards ofthis specialization are known) adhere strictly to the teachingsof this branch of magic and are apt to be very serious in theirphilosophy and attitude.

History of dimensionalismDimensionalists follow the teachings of a rather aloof half-

elf mage named Deverick Abraxas, who founded the idealsupon which dimensionalism is based. It is for this reason thatsome fanatically devoted followers often refer to themselvesas “Abraxites.”

Abraxas was an extremely open-minded individual andaccepted students of varying races, including humans, half-elves, elves, and gnomes. The mage was especially attuned tothe demi-plane of shadow, and this eventually led to his stud-ies in the field of dimensionalism.

Strictures of the dimensionalistWhen an individual makes the decision to become a dimen-

sionalist, he is bound by certain restrictions. The indi-

and an Intelligence of at least 9 to be considered for thisbranch of magic.

Dimensionalist spellsDimensionalist spells may be chosen from any of the nine

schools of magic: abjuration, alteration, conjuration/summon-ing, enchantment/charm, greater divination, illusion, invoca-tion/evocation, lesser divination, and necromancy. The shadowform spell, for example, belongs to the necromancy school; but,according to the dimensionalist, it is also a spell of the negativematerial plane. Like the elementalist, the dimensionalist maylearn and cast spells of any school, although he is not bound bythe restrictions regarding opposition schools. Dimensionalismhas no opposition. Furthermore, dimensionalists suffer consid-erable penalties when learning and casting spells that do notrelate directly to extraplanar magic. The dimensionalist has a-25% chance to learn spells outside the list of extraplanarmagic. Exceptions are spells for the school of lesser divination,which all wizards may learn without restriction.

Although the dimensionalist repertoire is small, they arepotent wizards, for they gain the following advantages whenutilizing extraplanar magic:

• When applicable, an enemy of the dimensionalist suffers a -2penalty to his saving throw vs. extraplanar magic.

• When extraplanar magic is employed against the dimension-alist, he saves at a +2 against these spells.

• Dimensionalists have a +30% chance to learn spells listed asextraplanar magic (see the following list of dimensional

spells).vidual must be a human, half-elf, elf, or gnomeand must have a minimum Wisdom of 16

• One extra dimensionalist spell is granted ateach spell level.

51DRAGON #229

• Once daily, the dimensionalist maycast one extraplanar spell as if hewas 1d6 levels higher.

• At 17th level, the dimensionalist maycast a maze spell once per day.

• At 18th level, the dimensionalist maycast a contact other plane spell twiceper day.

• At 20th level, the dimensionalist maycast a gate spell thrice per day.

Dimensional spells availableThe following list of spells covers the

Player’s Handbook, Tome of Magic,Complete Wizard’s Handbook, Drow of theUnderdark, Unearthed Arcana, andDRAGON® Magazine (issues #167 and#187).

Player’s Handbook2nd-level spells: deep pockets, detect

invisibility, rope trick3rd-level spells: blink, wraithform4th-level spells: dimension door, minor

creation, shadow monsters5th-level spells: conjure elemental,

contact other plane, demi-shadowmonsters, dismissal, Leomund’s secretchest, major creation, shadow magic,summon shadow

6th-level spells: demi-shadow magic,ensnarement, invisible stalker, moveearth, shades, true seeing

7th-level spells: banishment, Drawmij’sinstant summons, Mordenkainen’smagnificent mansion, Morden-kainen’s sword, shadow walk, tele-port without error, vanish

8th-level spells: binding, demand,maze, trap the soul

9th-level spells: astral spell, energydrain, gate

Tome of Magic5th-level spells: Khazid’s procurement6th-level spells: Lorloveim’s shadowy

transformation9th-level spells: estate transference

Complete Wizard’s Handbook8th-level spells: shadow form

Drow of the Underdark9th-level spell: black blade of disaster

Unearthed Arcana5th-level spells: dolor7th-level spells: torment truename

DRAGON Magazine (#167 and #187)1st-level spells: liquid orb2nd-level spells: shark bolt, stone sleep

3rd-level spells: skulltrap, searingserpent, steam blast

5th-level spells: stone drill7th-level spells: flame chase, wings8th-level spells: airball, deep delve9th-level spells: power word: liquefy,

wind war

When a dimensionalist attempts tocreate a new spell relating to extrapla-nar magic, the DM should count thenew spell as one level lower (for deter-mining difficulty). In addition, DMsshould consult the PLANESCAPE™ cam-paign setting or Manual of the Planes forcomplete information on extraplanarworlds and familiarize themselves withthe effects of magic on those specificplanes.

New dimensionalist spells

Mask light(Abjuration, Illusion/Phantasm)Level: 4Range: 1 yd per levelComponents: V, S, MDuration: 1 hour per levelCasting Time: 1 turnArea of Effect: 40’ cubeSaving Throw: None

By means of this spell, the wizardprovides the ideal environment forencampments by masking from passers-by the light of the campfire. When thecaster invokes this spell, he causes anextra-dimensional rift to open and tem-porarily cover the area of effect.Throughout the duration of the spell, theparty exists simultaneously on the PrimeMaterial and the border ethereal planes.The light of the campfire is also affected,and passing travelers are totally oblivi-ous to the party’s location because noillumination is emitted into the PrimeMaterial plane.

Although the party members and thelight source are invisible to beings of thePrime Material plane, those affected bythe spell have the ability to see out ofthe border ethereal and clearly into thePrime Material. There is no chance ofattack by prowling ethereal creaturesdue to the simultaneous existence of thespell recipients. Prime Material beingsusing true seeing, detect invisibility, orother similar spells, will see the maskedindividuals and their campfire, albeit asthough through a hazy, translucentshade.

The material component of this spellis a small, black cloth.

Ethereal walk(Alteration)Level: 7Range: TouchComponents: V, SDuration: 6 turns per levelCasting Time: 1Area of Effect: SpecialSaving Throw: Negates

By use of this spell, the wizard andany creature(s) he touches are transport-ed immediately to the border etherealplane. In this region, the wizard can seeinto the Prime Material plane and maythen travel along the border to reach adesired location on the Prime Material.While in the border ethereal, the wizardmay also enter into adjoining planes aswell, including the ethereal (deep), thefour known demi-planes, the innerplanes (elemental, para- and quasi-elemental), alternate ethereal and alter-nate Prime Material planes. Remainingin the border ethereal also keeps thewizard safe from ether cyclones (seeManual of the Planes or the PLANESCAPE

setting for details).Any creatures touched by the wizard

when this spell is cast also make thetransition to the border ethereal plane.They may opt to follow the wizard, wan-der off into the border ethereal, or stum-ble back into the Prime Material plane(50% chance for either result if they arelost or abandoned by the wizard).Creatures that are unwilling to accompa-ny the wizard into the border etherealreceive a saving throw, negating theeffect if successful.

Dimensional schoolsAs future generations of dimensional-

ists appear, there may come the timewhen sub-specialties develop within theclass, owing to the birth of etherealists,astralists, para-elementalists, quasi-elementalists, and demi-planists, as wellas others. Opposition schools may thencrop up, but only time will tell.

Players and DMs are encouraged tocome up with new ways to exploreextraplanar magic and its patron-mage,the dimensionalist.

Barry A.A. Dillinger is a horror novelistfrom Pennsylvania. His book, WhenBooklore Ends, will be out this summerfrom North west Publishing.

52 MAY 1996

by David “Zeb” Cookillustrated by Jim Holloway

ordrose, wizard for hire, sneered. Hewas having a good day — a verygood day. Terrorizing townsfolk was

fun, made more fun because he was beingpaid for if, and rendered truly enjoyablesince he smeared their four best championsall over the street. So when the old manwith the long wispy beard and caterpillar-thick eyebrows hobbled into the street andannounced his challenge, Mordrosecouldn’t possibly imagine a fight wortheven one spell.

“Prepare to d—”The old man was gone. One second he

was there, the next not.“Over here, dishonorable one,” cackled a

voice behind him. Mordrose turned just intime to see the old man, capering gleefullyon the rooftop, launch a fiery mass of flamestraight at his chin.

One of my favorite pieces of ancienthistory is Oriental Adventures, the firstrulebook I wrote for the AD&D® gameback before there was a “2nd Edition”attached to the name. It presented thegame with a uniquely Eastern point ofview, trying to capture the sometimeselusive feel of Oriental fantasy. It includ-ed new races, character classes, equip-ment, spells, and magical items, alongwith the first appearances of manythings that later made it into the 2ndEdition rules.

Alas, time and the 2nd Edition rule-book have passed that work by. Much

Wu-jen:the Oriental

mage revisited

of the material in Oriental Adventures hasbeen made obsolete or so modified bythe 2nd Edition that it is hardly worththe effort of most players to make thechanges needed to play in that settingtoday. Now, this could be mourned as aterrible loss or a big inconvenience; Iprefer to see it as a golden, shiningopportunity. It’s time to introduce a wujen for the nineties.

A woo what?Wu jen are lone wizards of awesome

physical ability, strange habits, and mys-tical power. Wu jen were the OrientalAdventures equivalent of the standardmage, men of mysterious power whooften lived as hermits and who terrifiedsensible folk by their mere presence.(For those who want to know, wu jenwere originally a mix of Taoist hermits,Chinese sages, and the mountain her-mits of Japan, among others.) The origi-nal wu jen as described in OrientalAdventures was little more than a spe-cialist wizard with a few special powers(ki) and some amusing restrictions. Sincethat time, specialist wizards havecropped up all over the place, and theworld has gotten more exposure to theinspired hyper-activity of Asian fantasyfilms. It’s definitely time for the wu jen tochange.

Thus, wu jen are now wizards with adifference: wu jen are mages of physicalaction. Wu jen are not mages who clutchpuny daggers and cower behind fighters.Wu jen are men of physical strength,weapon prowess, and mystical skill. Wujen magic is hard and physicallydemanding. It’s power comes from botharcane ritual and the caster’s ownstrength.

Wu jen characters are available toany race also open to mages. (If yourDM is trying to run an Oriental-styledcampaign, check to see which races areallowed first.) Wu jen must have anIntelligence of at least 9 and aConstitution of at least 12. Characterswith a 16 or greater Intelligence gain a10% bonus on all experience earned. (Ahigh Constitution is its own reward, asshall be seen.) Wu jen can be of anyalignment. Their abilities cannot becombined with kits or multi-classed. Wujen use the same experience tables aswizards. Wu jen start at first level with2-5 hit points; thereafter they gain 1d6hit points per level.

Unlike wizards, wu jen are not limitedin their choice of weapons. They can useany weapon available, although theystill use the wizard THAC0 progression.Like wizards, wu jen cannot wear anyarmor or use shields. They can use mag-ical items available to wizards or war-riors except, of course, magical armor.

All wu jen are automatically followersof a school. This does not mean everywu jen has an academy where the char-acter trains, although some do this. Awu jen’s school is the collected wisdomof a great sage or immortal whom hehas chosen to follow. Such schools are

DRAGON #229 55

Wu-jen spells allowed by schoolEarth1st Level

Detect magicGreaseHold portalMendingRead magicSpider climb

2nd LevelBindFools goldGlitterdustLocate objectMagic mouthShatterWizard lock

3rd LevelMelf’s minute meteors

4th LevelDigElemental turningStoneskin

5th LevelConjure elementalDistance distortionFabricatePasswallStone shapeTransmute rock to mudWall of ironWall of stone

6th LevelDisintegrateGlasseeMove earthStone to fleshTransmute water to dust

7th LevelMordenkainen’s magnificent

mansionStatue

8th LevelGlassteelSink

9th LevelCrystalbrittlelmprisonmentMeteor swarm

Air1st Level

Dancing lightsDetect magicFeather fallMessageRead magicTenser’s floating discWall of fog

2nd LevelBlurFog cloudStinking cloudWhispering wind

3rd LevelFlyGust of windWind wall

4th LevelElemental turningSolid fog

5th LevelAiry waterCloudkillConjure elemental

6th LevelControl weatherDeath fog

8th LevelIncendiary cloud

Fire1st Level

Affect normal firesBurning handsDetect magicLightRead magic

2nd LevelContinual lightFlaming spherePyrotechnics

3rd LevelFireballFlame arrow

4th LevelElemental turningFire charmFire shield

Fire trapWall of fire

5th LevelConjure elemental

6th LevelFire breath

7th LevelDelayed blast fireball

8th LevelIncendiary cloud

9th LevelInternal fires

Water1st Level

Chill touchDetect magicWall of fogRead magic

2nd LevelFog cloudMelf’s acid arrow

3rd LevelWater breathing

4th LevelElemental turningIce stormWall of ice

5th LevelAiry waterCone of coldConjure elementalTransmute rock to mud

6th LevelDeath fogLower waterOtiluke’s freezing spherePart WaterTransmute water to dust

9th LevelTsunami

Nature1st Level

Change selfCharm person

Detect magicDetect undeadEnlargeHypnosis

2nd LevelAlter selfDetect evilDetect invisibilityScare

3rd LevelClairaudienceClairvoyanceFeign deathVampiric touchWraithform

4th LevelDetect scryingPolymorph selfShoutStoneskin

5th LevelContact other planeDominationSendingTelekinesisTeleport

6th LevelLegend loreMass suggestionProject imageTenser’s transformationTrue seeing

7th LevelDuo-dimensionPower word, stunStatuevision

8th LevelDemandMass charmPower word, blindSerten’s spell immunity

9th LevelEnergy drainForesightPower word, killShape change

56 MAY 1996

typically handed down in books con-taining work of the founding great mas-ter, along with all the commentary,debate, and expansion done by laterstudents of that great master. (A properwu jen is always a “student of the greatmaster,” even if the master died 700years ago. Only when others come toseek him out does a wu jen ever hope tobecome a great master himself. In anycase, it is bad form for a wu jen toannounce himself as a great master.)

There are five common schools thatmatch the five elements — earth, air, fire,water, and nature. The spells of eachschool are listed on Table 1. In addition,the DM can create other schools thatsuit his campaign.

Unlike specialist wizards, a wu jencan learn only spells of his school; Allother schools are strictly off-limits to thecharacter. Furthermore, his workingselection is very limited. A wu jen doesnot learn a massive number of spellswhich he keeps in a massive tome.Instead, a wu jen can only learn onespell per level regardless of hisIntelligence. This spell can be of anylevel the character can cast.

All this may sound odd, but it is thecasting of spells where wu jen truly differ.First off, wu jen do not memorize spellsto cast them. They do not spend theirmornings poring over spellbooks to pre-pare for the day’s adventure. Indeed, awu jen has no need for a spellbook. Hehas already studied the writings andfrom that and his own mental skill haslearned how to invoke the power heldwithin the spell’s components.

Instead, a wu jen can cast any spellhe knows at any time he wishes — pro-vided he can pay the cost. For a wu jen,casting a spell is to tap into his ownphysical power and release the energyfrom within. In game terms, a wu jensuffers damage every time he casts aspell. The amount of damage suffered istriple the level of the spell. Casting amagic missile costs the character 3 hp, awu jen casting a fireball loses 9 hp.These hit points lost are treated as nor-mal damage. A wu jen can never cast aspell requiring more hit points than hehas available at the instant the spell iscast. Tsao (with 4 hp) plans to cast magicmissile (at a cost of 3 hp) but loses the ini-tiative and is struck by an arrow for 3 hpdamage. He only has 1 hp remaining —less than the magic missile requires — sothe spell is impossible. A wu jen candeliberately cast a spell that reduces hishit points to exactly zero. In this case he

falls comatose and the optional rulesallowing survival into negative hit pointsare used.

Because of the intense physicalpower a wu jen must store and tap fromwithin himself, the benefits a wu jenreceives from magical healing arehalved (rounding up). A cure light woundsthat would heal 7 hp for another char-acter only heals 4 hp for a wu jen.Normal healing for a wu jen character isunaffected.

As with the old wu jen of OrientalAdventures, the new wu jen must alsoabide by a number of personal taboos.The magic drawn from within the char-acter can be tapped only if certainseemingly trivial rituals and restrictionsare observed by the character. Theseserve to protect the character’s innerenergy from contamination. At first levelthe character must observe one prac-tice; thereafter he must add another atevery level divisible by five. Failure toobserve these practices results in a lossof spell-casting ability for 2d4 days.

There is no set list of restrictions andplayers and DMs are encouraged to cre-ate their own. The restrictions should beminor, features to enhance the person-ality of the character and not detrimentsto the enjoyment of play. Restrictionsshould also relate to the purity orcleansing of the body. Suggested obser-vances include such as the character:

• is a strict vegetarian• Cannot touch a dead body• cannot touch a member of the

opposite sex• Cannot drink alcohol• must bathe frequently (at least

every other day)• cannot bathe• cannot wear shoes• cannot sit facing a certain directionAs part of their mastery over the

power of the self, wu jen develop overtime a number of physical abilities offantastic proportion. All wu jen are ableto enter into a yogic trance. This tranceis as restful and refreshing as sleep;however, the wu jen suffers no penaltiesto his awareness of immediate sur-roundings. Thus a wu jen can sense ifsomething enters the room or campwhere he is meditating and can imme-diately react as if he had been awake allthat time. Meditating wu jen are nevergroggy or disoriented, nor do they sleepthrough events unless they choose to.

At 6th level, wu jen are able toenhance any one physical attribute(Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution) by

1d4 points for 2d4 rounds. This requiresintense effort and concentration on thepart of the wu jen, costing 1d6+2 hitpoints whenever the power is usedregardless of the amount of increase orduration. The character can choose theattribute affected but has no controlover amount or duration. Abilities can-not be increased beyond the character’sracial limits, but the ExceptionalStrength rating for fighters is used. Anyadjustments are applied immediatelybut are not retroactive. IncreasingConstitution does not gain additional hitpoints. Characters can use this abilitymultiple times, summoning up thepower once per round. Thus a wu jencould increase his Strength several timesover or raise his Strength and Dexteritynear simultaneously if he wants tospend the hit points.

Upon attaining 10th level, a wu jenattracts 1d4 pupils, all 1st-level wu jen,who come to study his teachings. Thepupils are generally faithful unless ill-treated or severely tempted (such as bya superior master). With each level theygain, there is a 5% cumulative chance ofleaving to pursue their own studies.Those who leave are quickly replacedby new 1st-level pupils (unless they leftdue to mistreatment). Wu jen do notautomatically build strongholds orattract fighting men, although they cando these things should they so choose.

At 12th level, the wu jen can leap andspring to up to 30’ in any direction,again by summoning up his physicalreserves. Each leap costs the characterone hit point, even if only a portion ofthe distance is traveled. Furthermore,the wu jen can perform a series of suchleaps within a single round, up the limitof his normal movement.

New wu-jen spellsThe following spells are adapted

from the Oriental Adventures rulebook,updated for use with the new wu jen.

Elemental turning(Earth school)Level: 4Range: 0Components: V, S, MDuration: 4 +1d4 roundsCasting Time: 5Area of Effect: 60’ radiusSaving Throw: Negates

Elemental turning creates a powerfulward against creatures from the variousElemental Planes. Upon casting, the

DRAGON #229 57

spell-caster must name the plane ward-ed against (fire, water, lightning, ooze,etc.). All elemental creatures of thatplane must immediately make a savingthrow vs. spell if they are within the areaof effect. Those who fail must immedi-ately flee the area of effect by the mostdirect route. Such creatures cannot reen-ter the area for the duration of the spell.Elemental creatures outside the area ofeffect must save vs. spell before theycan enter; those who fail are kept out-side the area.

The spell centers on the caster andmoves with him. If an elemental crea-ture is forced to enter or remain withinthe spell’s effect against its will, themagic’s power of it is automatically bro-ken and it may act freely. The spell doesnot break the concentration of a magecontrolling an elemental; it affects onlythe creature’s behavior.

The component for this spell is asmall bottle holding a sample of the ele-ment being affected.

Fire Breath(Fire school)Level: 6

Range: 0Components: V, S, MDuration: InstantaneousCasting Time: 5Area of Effect: 30’ cone, 15-wide baseSaving Throw: Halves

The spell allows the wu jen to exhalea blast of scorching fire similar to a reddragon’s breath. All within the area ofeffect must save vs. breath weapon orsuffer 1d6 hp damage per level of thecaster. Those who save successfullyreduce the damage suffered to half. Aswith dragon’s breath, the flames ignitecombustible material in the area of effect.

The material component for this spellis a cinder clenched in the teeth of thecaster.

Internal fires(Fire school)Level: 6Range: 60’Components: V, S, MDuration: InstantaneousCasting Time: 9Area of Effect: SpecialSaving Throw: None

Internal fires is a fearsome spell that

conjures raging flames from within thebowels of its victims. The spell affectsone or more creatures whose total lev-els or hit dice are no greater than thecaster. All targets must be within 20’ ofa single point and within range of thecaster. Within these limits, the spellleaps from target to target as chosen bythe caster. The hit dice or levels of thevictim are subtracted from the spell’stotal strength and if no hit die (or levels)remain, the victim instantly erupts in all-consuming flames. Death is instanta-neous. Magical items or spells that con-fer any sort of protection from fire auto-matically negate the effect for the pro-tected individual only.

The material component for this spellis an iron brazier filled with hot coals.

Tsunami(Water school)Level: 6Range: 1 mileComponents: V, S, MDuration: 2 turnsCasting Time: 1 turnArea of Effect: Wave 10 yds. long x 5’

high per levelSaving Throw: Halves

This spell, which can only be castupon large bodies of water such as seasor oceans, summons up a enormousroiling wave of water, a tsunami. Uponcasting the spell, the sea begins to rockand churn as if heaving in its bed. Aftertwo turns, an enormous wave boils forthto the maximum height of the caster’sability. This wave moves in a straightline in the direction chosen by the cast-er. It travels 500’ per round and eachround drops by 10’ in height at sea or20’ upon striking dry land. Vessels andwooden buildings caught in the wavehave a percentage chance to bedestroyed equal to the current height ofthe wave, while stone buildings haveonly one quarter this percentage. Landand air dwelling creatures caught in thewave suffer damage equal to 1d10 per10’ of height. A saving throw vs. breathweapon reduces this damage by half.

The material component for this spellis the scale of a dragon turtle and a dropof water.

David “Zeb” Cook is a veteran gamedesigner and alumnus of TSR, inc. Zeb livesin California and works for a computergame company.

58 MAY 1996

© 1996 John C. Bunnell

The Perfect PrincessIrene RadfordDAW $5.50

The plot twists cleverly, the charac-ters are shrewdly drawn, and the politi-cal intrigues in particular are all tooplausible.

But this second novel in IreneRadford’s “Dragon Nimbus” series is astruggle to read — because the namesshe assigns to people, places, and thingsjangle on the ear like a roomful of musi-cians all playing in different keys.

This is also why the present reviewstarts with the second book in theseries. I started reading its predecessor,The Glass Dragon, not long after itappeared a year or so ago — but put itdown, shaking my head, after discover-ing that much of its plot involved thesearch for a magical herb called“Tambootie.”

Tambootie?Fortunately, although Tambootie

reappears in the present volume, itdoesn’t do so until the narrative is wellunderway. Nonetheless, the term issymptomatic of the larger problem withRadford’s naming conventions, insofaras they can be established.

And that’s the difficulty: few of theindividual names sound like they belongon the same continent with each other.

At the geographic level, matters arenot too discordant; the three major king-doms that figure in the story areCoronnan, Rossemeyer, and Selenicca.Of these, “Selenicca,” with the odd inter-nal capital is the least well-matched, but

if that was the extent of the namingproblem, there’d be little reason to raisea fuss.

But then we hit character-names, andthe discordancy escalates. There are atleast three separate conventions in use:the “typical invented fantasy world”standard (Senior Magician Baamin,witch-woman Brevelan); the “borrowedfrom Earth” standard (Sir Holmes, Fredthe bodyguard, possibly Prince Darville);and the “cute wordplay” standard(archvillain Krej, whose name is “jerk”spelled backward). And there are furthercomplications; many of Rossemeyer’snobles use “Rosse” as part of their ownnames — the Princess Rossemikka, forexample.

Any one of these general patternsmight work on its own, especially if theEarth-borrowings carried any sort of cul-tural resonance, but Coronnan and thelands around it seem entirely free ofEarthly mythic influence. The result is amishmash of epic proportions, and itmakes it very difficult for readers to gethold of and identify with the world inwhich Radford’s story occurs.

That’s frustrating, because if one cansomehow look past the names, there’s asolid, cogently conceived tale in thesepages.

Prince Darville’s struggle to reconcilea balky royal council, bring several sortsof loose magic under control, and naildown a sticky political alliance — all inthe face of opposition both from Krejand from another less obvious enemy —is unfolded with considerable skill, andRadford’s characters are far from stereo-typical. Structurally and thematically, thetale is a good deal more ambitious thanit appears from its packaging.

But the names do get in the way. Anherb called Tambootie and a crownknown as the Coraurlia don’t fit into thesame world with an apprentice-magecalled Yaakke and a guardsman namedFred.

The real tragedy is that Radford isnow stuck with this ill-assorted montagefor the duration of the series, so thatfuture entries, however well-crafted, will

still be hidden behind the slapdashappearance given by the nomenclature.

One for the Morning GloryJohn BarnesTor $22.95

A gentle, elegant cross between aswashbuckler and a fairy tale is aboutthe last thing one would expect from awriter whose specialty to date has beenhard-edged, dynamic, carefully extrapo-lated science fiction. But that’s whatJohn Barnes delivers in One for theMorning Glory, and it’s as fine an exam-ple of its kind as Barnes’ highly-regardedSF novels have been.

The keystone of the tale, though notits sole protagonist, is Prince Amatus,who suffers a unique accident at the ageof two. “A child who tastes the Wine ofthe Gods too early,” goes the saying, “isonly half a person afterwards.” And so itproves, for when Amatus drinks a glassof the rare beverage, the left side of hisbody vanishes utterly — not merelyinvisible, but missing entirely.

As this is a fairy-tale kingdom, how-ever, all is not completely lost. A set ofCompanions appears and is taken intothe King’s service: an alchemist, a witch,a guard captain, and a personal maidfor Amatus. And as time passes, thereare omens and portents and adven-tures, and gradually three things hap-pen: the Companions fulfill their individ-ual destinies, the prince’s body isrestored, and the Prince himself reachesmanhood just in time to right a long-simmering wrong and fulfill his own des-tiny in the process.

Yet though the broad outline issquarely in classic fairy-tale tradition,the execution is something else again.The narrative style Barnes adopts is alight, musing scholar’s variant of the old“once upon a time” storytelling mode —a tone that looks effortless on the pagebut which is exceedingly difficult to sus-tain effectively. Barnes pulls it off beau-tifully, though, always incisive andinsightful but never intrusive.

One of the results of this is that the

DRAGON #229 61

novel is often highly amusing, yet not inthe broad slapstick or pun-laden senseoften typical of “funny fantasy.” Rather,Barnes’ humor has the sometimes wry,sometimes wise air of a favorite grand-father looking back on youthful mis-deeds with a self-deprecating chuckle.There is wit and wordplay, to be sure,but it’s of a subtle and sedate characterthat makes even The Princess Bride lookraucous.

Another is that characterization,which in fairy tales is frequently a matterof archetype and ritual, is in Barnes’hands much more subtle and well-devel-oped than is the norm. In part, he man-ages this by allowing his players toknow that they are part of a story, whichlets them play slightly against their pre-scripted roles and adds dimension to thenarrative. Again, though, the effect ishandled with fine, deft strokes and usedonly sparingly, so that it remains anatmospheric touch rather than degener-ating into farce.

The third of the novel’s distinctivequalities is that it expertly balances astrong sense of pattern against anequally strong sense of mystery. All thefairy tale and folk tale conventions arestrictly observed — traditions of questand sacrifice, romance and rescue,witchery and wonder. But there’s nosense of dominoes merely beingknocked over in the proper order, andthe means by which the tale proceeds toits resolution are never entirely clear cut.Surprises unfold right up to the closingpages, and yet ultimately fit into theoverarching design of the tale so thatthey look as if they belonged there allalong.

One for the Morning Glory is, in short,a genuine masterpiece of craftsmanship— and more, it’s the rare sort of craft-work where seeing how it’s held togeth-er only enhances its attractiveness. Andit establishes John Barnes as a writerwhose versatility is as impressive as hissense of invention. This is a book that’sgoing to be around for a very long time,and deservedly so.

Caverns of SocratesDennis L. McKiernanRoc $14.95

The idea isn’t as new as you mightthink; it’s been fully five years since Wm.Mark Simmons’ In the Net of Dreamscrossed virtual-reality adventure gamingwith a spirited exploration of the ethicsof artificial intelligence. But Dennis

McKiernan’s new novel takes thepremise in a slightly different direction,and while it offers few answers, it asks ahost of very good questions in lively andengaging fashion.

Our heroes in McKiernan’s near-future setting are the Black Foxes, role-players who’ve been away from gamingsince winning a world championshipsome years prior to the tale’s opening.Their job is to test the limits of a brand-new VR technology, administered by thesynthetic intellect known as Avery.Avery has been programmed with thefull history of the Black Foxes’ gamingcampaign and assigned to develop aquest which will test both the Foxes’skills and his own mind-interfacing abil-ities.

What happens next won’t surpriseexperienced readers—an electrical acci-dent damages the research facility’spower systems, and it’s uncertainwhether the Foxes can be successfullypulled out of the game. Worse, Avery’sown actions are growing unpredictable,and it’s unclear whether the problem ishardware damage, a fatal programmingflaw, or Avery’s possible lack of a soul togo with his silicon-based mind.Meanwhile, though, the fantasy adven-ture goes on inside the system, with theBlack Foxes entirely submerged in theirgame-personas.

Readers expecting the occasionallyflorid, ornate prose of McKiernan’s“Mithgar” stories will be surprised by thisbook. The Avery-world in whichMcKiernan deposits the Foxes is a light-ly drawn, straightforward place — arefreshing departure from much VR-fan-tasy fiction, in which the game settingsare often kitchen-sink realms full ofanachronisms and tortuous puns. Andwhile it’s ostensibly a game-setting, it’sremarkably free of the echo of dice-rolling or other RPG mechanics. On theflip side of the narrative, the real-worldchapters smoothly capture the sophisti-cated bickering of high-tech academia,made tense and strained by the rapidlyescalating crisis of Avery’s malfunctions.Though there’s a fair amount of purelecture in the early going, as McKiernansets up his metaphysical conflict, eventhis is briskly and amiably delivered.

If there’s a criticism to be leveled atCaverns of Socrates, it’s that McKiernan— very deftly, to be sure — avoidsanswering any of the thought-provokingquestions he raises about the nature ofsouls and consciousness. Circumstancesin the tale resolve themselves, or appear

to, just in time to prevent an ultimatetest from taking place. And Avery’s finallegacy to the Black Foxes is a puzzle aswell, making the nature of their achieve-ment something of a mystery The end-ing is therefore less decisive than itmight be, and there are definite fore-shadowings of a sequel.

Then again, though, McKiernan’ssubject matter is ambiguous by nature.This is easily his strongest and mostentertaining work to date, and it’s per-haps unfair to expect him to resolve,even in a fictional context, questionsabout which humanity has been specu-lating since the days of the Socrateshimself.

The Spirit GateMaya Kaathryn BohnhoffBaen $5.99

Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff’s newestnovel is intriguing on two counts. First ofthese is its setting, which looks verymuch like a rather odd alternate versionof medieval Poland. Secondly, the sys-tem of magic Bohnhoff invents for thetale is an intriguing construct, at oncetraditional yet distinctive, and thenovel’s exploration of its boundaries isconducted with measured thoughtful-ness.

On one hand, The Spirit Gate readsmuch more like traditional fantasy thanalternate history. But although themagic-rich if beleaguered realm of“Polia” is clearly Bohnhoff’s invention,the world around it is very like that ofhistorical Europe during the age whenFrankish forces, hand in hand with theRoman church, were rapidly assertingdominance over most of that continent.But the Franks are not Polia’s only rivals;there are also Turkish forces beyondone border, and the Mongol hordes pastanother.

The key to Polia’s long-term security,it seems, is a young widow namedKassia, who has a rare form of magicaltalent known as the shai gift. Properlytrained, her abilities can complementthose of the land’s formal mage-priests,the Mateu, permitting the use of spellslong thought impossible because of theMateu’s inability to control all of the ele-mental forces required to make themagic work.

But while Kassia’s training and mas-tery are the novel’s focus, Bohnhoff hasmore in mind than a typical “mage-in-training” tale. The emphasis in Kassia’sstudies is on research and theory rather

62 MAY 1996

than life in a wizards’ academy, andpolitical intrigues quickly vie with magi-cal puzzles for Kassia’s attention.

In addition, the characterizations aregentler and more subtle than one mightexpect. There’s no doubt, from the first,that Frankish Bishop Benedict is anenemy, but Kassia’s mentor, MasterLukasha, is a complicated figure whosepriorities shift markedly as the story pro-gresses. And Kassia’s relationships witha fellow apprentice and with the Polianruler are given ample space to grow anddevelop.

Last but not least, the elementallybased magic system is cleverly and care-fully thought out, with careful attentionto matters of balance and the costs ofpower. More, the gradual discovery offorgotten or unrecognized aspects of thesystem is itself integral to the unfoldingplot, so the theoretical matter has solidnarrative impact rather than being merewindow-dressing.

So while The Spirit Gate is in manyrespects a very sedate traditional fan-tasy, it’s also a good deal richer andmore subtle than many of its less well-rooted cousins. Bohnhoff’s attention todetails of history, character, and magicmakes this book stand out.

The Instrument of FateChristie GoldenAce 5.99

Christie Golden’s name will be famil-iar to many readers as the author of sev-eral justifiably well-regarded tales set inthe dark realms of the RAVENLOFT® set-ting. With The lnstrument of Fate, how-ever, Golden strikes out on her own,crafting a lyrical and mesmerizing novelof compelling music, reclusive elves, anddeadly pursuit.

The elves of Golden’s world are of abreed increasingly rare in modern fan-tasy; they are for the most part distrust-ful of humanity and inclined to setthemselves deliberately apart fromhuman influence. Indeed, one group ofelves may be considering an openoffensive against a nearby human king-dom as the tale begins —which promptsa more tolerant elven lord to dispatch awarning.

That, however, is merely the pro-logue. The body of the novel is the storyof how that warning is delivered, forwhen the original courier is intercepted,his burden falls into the hands of oneGillien Songespynner. Suddenly markedfor destruction by forces that have

already killed one elf and done awaywith her family, she quickly realizes thather only hope of survival is to success-fully deliver the murdered courier’s luteto the queen of Byrn, herself an elf in ahuman-dominated land.

Golden brings two major strengths tobear on her chronicle: first-rate charac-terization and an equally sure hand withmatters musical. Like the briefly seencourier Jencir, readers will be drawnfirmly into Gillien’s grasp by the song-performance that marks her entry intothe adventure; not only are the lyricscompelling, but so is Golden’s descrip-tion of Gillien’s delivery.

Additional song-fragments scatteredthrough the narrative reinforce theimpression, as do the scenes in whichGillien forms a bond with the mysteriouselven-crafted lute.

But it’s not just that Gillien is anappealing character.

Golden’s entire cast is equally well-drawn and intriguing, from reluctantbodyguard Daric all the way down to afeisty horse aptly named That DamnedBeast. There are no “spear-carriers” inthis novel; even characters who appearonly briefly are made to seem realisticand lifelike, so that we’re genuinely sorrywhen several of them are ruthlessly dis-patched by Gillien’s enemies.

And “ruthless” isn’t too strong a word;before the adventure is done, there’s arather long trail of death in Gillien’swake, and Gillien herself endures con-

siderable abuse at the hands of her foes.But while there’s no shortage of dark-

ness in The Instrument of Fate, it is ulti-mately a novel about the persistence ofhope — even though not all of that hopeseems destined to be realized.

The breathlessly-staged climax isboth ingenious and bittersweet, with acluster of expertly sprung revelationsthat lay the groundwork for a “happilyever after” ending that nonethelessholds its share of sadness. ChristieGolden has written a thoroughly memo-rable novel that deserves a wide andappreciative audience.

Recurring RolesAfter a significant hiatus, former com-

puter-guru Wiz Zumwalt returns in RickCooks The Wizardry Consulted (Baen,$5.99).

This isn’t the series’ strongest entry,but Cooks mix of Silicon Valley satireand logically defined magic is still rea-sonably sharp, with the emphasis thistime on the satire; one plot follows Wizas he goes into the consulting business,while another has the FBI investigatingcertain real-world adjuncts to the magi-cal enterprise going on in Wiz’s newreality.

Dragon’s Honor (Pocket, $5.99) is oneof the strongest Star Trek: The NextGeneration novels in some time. Collab-orators Greg Cox and Kij Johnson pre-sent a clever and frequently very funnyscenario in which Picard and companymust interact with a culture much likethat of Imperial China in all its bureau-cratic and artistic glory. Cox andJohnson find room for all the major Trekcharacters to spread their wings, and dobetter than many Trek novelists at cap-turing the cast’s voices on the printedpage.

This is one of the rare novels thatwould make a solid filmed adventure aswell, and the comedy is balanced by asolid political-intrigue plot.

Another first-rate feat of jugglingshows up in Wishing Season (Baen,$5.99), substantially expanded by EstherFriesner from its previous appearance asa young-adult yarn. This is an ArabianNights tale with a highly acerbic wit, inwhich there are genies aplenty andmore wishes than any mortal should beallowed to have (but which some mor

Continued on page 75

64 MAY 1996

by Lloyd Brown IIIillustrated by Christina Wald

What good is a first-level wizard, anyway?n the AD&D® game, no opponent is more feared than ahigh-level wizard. They can slay with a word, travel theplanes, conjure efreet and fiends, and stop time itself. The

trouble is getting there. The average novice wizard has less sta-mina than the town baker, no armor, and no weapon betterthan a tree branch. Comparatively, they are almost the equalof a kobold in combat but must amass the equivalent of 358victories over kobolds to earn enough experience points toreach second level. How do they ever survive?

By their wits, of course.By the time a 0-level PC or NPC has cast his first magic spell

and earned the right to call himself a wizard, he has learnedquite a few things, but his studies have consumed much of thetime he could have spent learning other things, like intensiveweapons studies. First observe the things a wizard can’t do,and try to make the most of it. Then catalog the considerablethings a novice mage can do, and see how they make theirway in the world.

Would-be wizards are advised to listen to the words of theArchmage Tallus, Guildmaster and Dean of the University ofCandlekeep, who was a surprise speaker for the College ofMagic graduating class of 1321. His experience is vast, and hisintellect astounding. His anecdotes tend to involve intricatetechnical details, some of which go past the heads even of hispeers, who have learned to nod their heads and murmuragreement rather than to ask for an explanation. For this rea-son, large parts of his speech are not repeated here,

Armor“The best armor you’re going to find is a good suit of plate mail.

Polish it, enchant it if you can, then put it on somebody else and keephim between you and anybody that wants to hurt you. If the armorisn’t good enough, use your spells to help out the man wearing it. Ifa fight goes very badly, you’re probably not strong enough to run in50 pounds of steel, including 10 pounds on your head that limitsyour sight to a 30 degree arc. A shield spell costs nothing, protectsyou from magic missiles, doesn’t inhibit your vision, and neverslows you down. There. I think my opinion of armor is clear.”

A wizard cannot wear armor. The restrictions are prettyclear here, and any attempt to fiddle with this rule will mostlikely lead to abuse. For characters in arctic weather conditions,some DM’s may allow heavy clothing to count for AC 9 oreven AC 8, but it will almost certainly apply movement orDexterity penalties as well, probably resulting in a net loss tothe PC. Whenever possible, a mage should hide around cor-ners, snipe from a prone position, kneel behind a low wall, oruse natural cover to deflect missile attacks and enemy spells.

The best way to compensate for not being able to weararmor is to support the fighters between the novice wizard andthe enemy. An enlarge spell does this well. (See the cantrip ideaslisted below for elaborations on this tactic.)

The only advantage here is that the wizard is virtually guar-anteed first selection of any magical protections that the partymay come across. Magically protective rings, bracers, cloaks,etc. are almost always given first to wizards. These items weigh

little and most provide saving throw bonuses aswell as Armor Class bonuses.and notes are given and details explained for

the layman.

DRAGON #229 67

Weapons and combat tactics“Whenever possible, stay away from the

enemy. This may sound like telling you tostay out of the blast radius of a fireball, butyou’d be surprised how many graduatesperish trying to be brave. If you can attackby dart, by spell, or better yet, by someoneelse, then by all means do it! Just becauseyou don’t attack by sword or spear doesn’tmean that you don’t contribute to the fight.Far from it.”

According to the Player’s Handbook,the mage is allowed to choose from fiveweapons: dagger, dart, knife, staff, andsling. Five weapons makes for poor ver-satility. Receiving only one proficiency at1st level makes the decision a toughone. One possibility for improvement isto take a kit that allows the use of dif-ferent weapons. Ask the DM if theweapons allowed to wu jen, either fromthe old Oriental Adventures book or TheComplete Wizard’s Handbook, areallowed. Barbarian mages may also beallowed different tribal weapons. Whilethis may offer variety, few of theseweapons are really an improvementover those already available to mages.

Another option is to petition the DMto allow some other weapons. The choic-es are restricted to weapons that requirelittle strength or skill. A club hardlyrequires a great deal of skill, althoughsome degree of strength is required. Anet should probably be allowed to wiz-ards, especially if the player is willing totake the fishing non-weapon proficiencyin order to justify knowledge of how touse it.

Even choosing among the basicweapons is tricky. Each offers a distinctadvantage. First, consider the meleeweapons. The staff is a likely choice: itinflicts the most damage of any of thewizard’s weapons and costs the least. Agood bargain. If lost, a staff is easilyreplaced. It is also likely to be found inmagical form. If the DM allows for it, afine quality or exceptional quality staffable to provide non-magical attack ordamage bonuses could be commis-sioned at low cost — if a weapon makerskilled at constructing staves can befound. For that matter, a better qualityweapon of any sort allowed by a wizardshould not be too expensive.

A knife or dagger can be used eitheras a melee or missile weapon. Althoughit causes less damage than a staff, adagger, too, is frequently found in mag-ical form. Knives and daggers have thebenefit of being easily concealed.

Several should be carried and at leastone kept handy in case the character iscaught in a net or in close quarters.

Both the dart and the sling are effec-tive missile weapons. The sling is cheap,highly concealable, inflicts good dam-age if bullets are used, has virtually lim-itless backup ammunition in the form ofstones, and has excellent range.

Darts, however, are the weapon ofchoice in close combat. Despite theirseemingly puny damage, their high rateof fire means both higher total damagethan the sling and multiple target capa-bility. Also, if a wizard’s attack or dam-age capability is magically enhanced inany way, the higher rate of fire capital-izes on that improvement. Improvingdamage by +1 means only one morepoint of damage each round with asling, but potentially three more pointsof damage with the darts.

Of course, nobody ever said thatsince a wizard can be proficient withone weapon that he can’t carry others.Hard-pressed fighters, acrobatic thieves,and clumsy clerics can all lose weaponssometimes. If a wizard is handy to toss aclub or dagger to the newly-unarmedcomrade, his companion may not haveto face the enemy empty-handed.

These aren’t all the weapons allowedby wizards. This survey exhausts the listin the Player’s Handbook text on mages,but there are others available for theresourceful. Greek fire, holy water, vialsof acid, torches, nets, marbles (detailedin The Complete Thief’s Handbook) andother “equipment” can all be used toharm or hamper the enemy. Wizardsshould stock up on these items when-ever they can afford them. None ofthem weigh much, and most can beused to affect undead and certain othernasties that can’t be hit by nonmagicalweapons.

There is still more a wizard can attackwith. Some animals have natural attacksmore effective than a wizard’s dagger orstaff. Even a beginning mage can proba-bly afford a trained war or hunting dog.Sturdy (1+1 to 2 HD), fast (MV 12), keenof sense (difficult to surprise), and intelli-gent, a dog makes a loyal companion. Iftreated well, he can be a loyal compan-ion for years. A couple of animals caneven be bred, and pups trained, espe-cially if the character is skilled in theseareas. Characters who buy dogs solelyfor cannon fodder are warned: eventhese domestic beasts have their protec-tive deities.

All of these tactics can be applied by

any member of the party. What makesthe wizard unique is that each day hecan choose a different selection of spellswith which to arm himself. When con-sidering which spells he can use to harmthe enemy, two things should beremembered. The first is that enemiesare often allowed a saving throw ormagic resistance check to reduce oravoid damage. Allies don’t or won’tresist these spells. The second is thatindirect attacks can usually be directedagainst more than one enemy. Consideran enlarge spell, a common first-levelalteration. Burning hands could be usedto attack one enemy, if he is within 3’(something most sensible mages avoid).An enlarged fighter, even if his damagepotential is improved only by one point,can do more damage before the spell’sexpiration, can attack different targets,and gains other benefits as well (greaterreach, overbearing benefits, etc.). Spellslike enlarge work well on animal com-panions also. In general, spells thatenhance the party’s ability to inflictdamage are better than those thatattempt directly to damage the enemy.

Freedom from front-line combat alsoputs the wizard in an excellent positionfor a hands-off leadership role. The wiz-ard can direct the combat and throw hisstrength where it is needed, acting as atactical reserve, or he can give com-mands, serving the party as a combatcoordinator.

Starting money“So you’ve spent all of your money on

books, tuition, and material components.Big deal. What else do you need? You haveit all, right there in your hands! Your spell-book and what you put in it are your keys tosuccess. You’re the smartest men andwomen in this city. Use those brains. Moneyis the least of your worries. Trust me.”

Looking at the starting money for thedifferent character groups, it seems thatthe wizard has the least of the fourgroups. Instead of looking at startingmoney, compare what is left over afterthe necessities are purchased. Theyactually have the most spending moneyleft over after purchasing weapons andarmor. Priests must have a holy symbol,thieves must have lockpicks if they wishto use those abilities that require them,and good weapons and armor for war-riors are not cheap. Wizards begin playwith a free spellbook, cannot weararmor, and their most expensiveweapon costs 2 gp. That leaves quite a

68 MAY 1996

bit left over for other things, like thegrenade-like missiles or animals men-tioned earlier. This money can even beloaned to other characters who come upa little short when buying expensiveweapons or armor. Mages who lendmoney to these characters are virtuallyguaranteed a little extra protection inbattle.

If a character feels the need for moremoney, the wizard is in an excellentposition to earn more. This is a casewhere a player must become aggressivewith the game and not wait for the DMto drop the next adventure in his lap.Certain spells have great commercialvalue, even those available to beginningmages. Detect magic, erase, read magic,comprehend languages, and identify allhave obvious uses and are sometimescommissioned by those without theseabilities. If a mage lets it be known thathe is willing to perform these servicesfor money, customers may seek himout. Some other spells have applicationsto a more select market, mostly shady orquestionable. The thieves guild can be agood customer for these spells. Armor,for example, gives a thief the benefits ofan Armor Class better than he canachieve by wearing the armor typesallowed for thieves, and it still gives himability benefits of not wearing armor. Athief fearing violence would be wise tohave this spell cast on him.

On the other side of the law, wizardmark can be used to identify property incase it is stolen. Revealing an invisiblewizard mark can spell doom for a would-be thief who claims a stolen itembelongs to him. Rich merchants ornobles might wish to have their valu-ables protected in this way. The samerich merchants would pay a bundle tohave mending cast on an antique vaseworth over 3,000 gp that had beenknocked over by a careless servant. Theservant himself might even bring thevase to the caster, hoping to fix thedamage before his master came homeand noticed it.

It is common procedure to ask thatthe purchaser provide his own materialcomponents, which the spell-casteralways overstates, as part of his “mark-up.” This can provide the caster withvaluable material components for spellsthat he could not normally afford tocast, like the aforementioned wizardmark.

If a wizard character is ever really,really in great need of cash, all wizardsare assumed to begin with a spellbook.

A blank spellbook has 100 pages, val-ued at 100 gp per page — a 10,000 gpasset! Hocking your only spellbook, buy-ing piles of armor, weapons, and goodquality equipment for the party, hopingfor a successful adventure before thedue date on the pawn, than buying backthat spellbook, is about as risky aschancing a game of chess on a queensacrifice — but what a story if you pull itoff!

Spellcasting betweenadventures

“Any mage who waits for a written invi-tation before casting a spell ought to bedrawn and quartered. lf you have the abilityto protect yourself or your friends, do it inthe safety and privacy of your home.Waiting until you see the whites of their eyesmay be fine for attack, but it’s suicide for adefensive position.”

Spellcasting should not be limited toactive adventuring periods. Some spells,like armor, mentioned above, have noset expiration time. If this spell is known,it should be cast on the wizard, his petsor familiar, the party thief, and anypriests who are not allowed to wearheavy armor. Between adventures is thetime the character casts a detect magicspell, item by item, on all of those poten-tial magical things picked up in the lastadventure and then casts identify onthose that turn up positive. Spells thatare commonly cast for others for moneycan be cast for the wizard and his party,as well. Scrolls can be read, brokenweapons can be mended, and valuableproperty wizard marked.

Finally, new spells can be chosen. Awise spellcaster remembers which spellswent unused, which were useful only incertain situations, and which were enor-mously successful. This critical feedbackat low levels makes all the differencewhen a wide selection of spells is avail-able at higher levels.

Spell selection“So now you have the things you think

you’ll need. You are loaded down with spell-book, food, water, volatile compounds,incendiary missiles, pungent material com-ponents, daggers, darts, and a staff. Youhave it all, right?

“Wrong. What spells are you going touse? Figure you’ll just make that part up asyou go, huh? Bad idea. Right now is the timefor you to decide what spells are the mostimportant, because you don’t have much

choice. If you take one spell and never use it,you’re worse than useless — you’re in theway. Don’t wait until you see your enemiesbefore you cast a spell. Good spellcastingmay mean you never have to meet theenemy. The only combat you’re guaranteednot to get killed in is the one you don’tfight.”

When a caster has only one or just afew spells, selection is vital. Betweengaming periods, as mentioned earlier,the spells memorized are not important,unless the DM likes to spring adventureson you without warning. When a setgoal is known, and the party has time topack up before leaving the safety of theinn or boarding house, spells should bechosen with care.

Most 1st-level attack spells causedamage less than or equal to a singlesword thrust. Choosing these attackspells (magic missile, shocking grasp, burn-ing hands) means that the wizard hasone attack in which he is as effective asa fighter for a single round. Shockinggrasp and burning hands especiallyrequire the caster to get uncomfortablyclose to his opponent. Given the choice,these should be avoided.

If a player wishes to choose an attackspell, consider color spray, sleep, or charmperson (to attack with an intermediary).These all have advantages: color sprayand sleep both affect multiple targetswith no saving throw, and charm personcan have an extraordinary duration.

All things considered, the beginningmage is best suited to let the rest of theparty attack. Looking at the numbers, anorc armed with a spear or short sword islikely to kill a 1st-level wizard with aver-age hit points and AC 10 after only tworounds of combat. For this reason,defensive spells should take priorityover attack spells.

Good defensive spells include armor,as already discussed, shield (which pro-vides a good Armor Class plus totalimmunity to magic missiles), and protec-tion from evil (which can provide com-plete protection against certain mon-sters). The latter two, while providinggood protection, have a duration limit-ing their usefulness to one battle or frac-tion of a battle. Other defensive spellsare either too specific (like gaze reflection)or less effective than the normal, non-magical way of doing things (hold por-tal). Wall of fog provides adequate coverfor the entire party to make a retreat, orconfound an enemy, giving time to pre-pare an ambush or light Greek fire, healwounded, or some other action. Feather

DRAGON #229 6 9

fall, in addition to its conventionalusage, can save a single party memberfrom a single missile attack that mighthit. Once.

The problem with these spells is theirlimited duration. If the enemy also beatsa hasty retreat from the wall of fog, orwaits until the protection from evil isexpired, the spell allowed for only amomentary respite from battle. Thismay be useful, but the caster now hasno spell to cast to save the party again.

The only 1st-level spell that circum-vents this one-shot usage hindrance iscantrip. With a duration of one hour perlevel, it can affect multiple combats andthe important non-combat situations inbetween.

Using the cantrip“Let me tell you about my first adventure.

I don’t recall exactly what we were there for,but that old wooden hill fort stands outclearly in my mind. I had chosen cantrip formy only spell, and my companions thoughtI was crazy. When the goblins started pour-ing out of their little trapdoors, I heard, ‘Put‘em to sleep!’, ‘Charm one!’, ‘Magic missilethe leader!’ Well, I couldn’t do any of that, sothey formed an arc, backed me into a cor-ner, and told me to stay alive so they couldkill me themselves later.

“Xavier, our war-priest, stood in front ofme, waving a huge axe. Attacking those lit-tle vermin made him look like a giant slugon a cold day. I used a quickblade¹ to helphim out a little. I alternated that with theopposite, leadblade2, on the goblins he wasfighting. One of the squirmy little monsterssnuck in under his legs and tried to attackme. I turned my hands black — so theylooked leprous — with a blackhands³ andreached out to touch him. He backed upenough to run into Xavier’s backswing.After that, their slingers started targetingme. I used an evocation, minor shield4, todeflect their arrows as much as possible.

“Then I noticed a dark elf standing intheir midst, directing their attack. Standingon his shoulder was a beady-eyed little rat. Afamiliar: perfect target for a cantrip. Sureenough, the rat jumped off and started run-ning around, squeaking here and scurryingthere. I put a minor slow5 on him when hegot close and told Shadow, our thief, to goget him. Holding him hostage, we made the

dark elf pull back his goblins and made ourescape, were able to convince the regulararmy to make it a military operation andwiped the goblins out. I’ve memorized atleast one cantrip ever since.”

Before discussing the myriad applica-tions of the cantrip, the exact limits ofthe spell need to be defined further thanin the Player’s Handbook. The rules gov-erning cantrips say that “they are com-pletely unable to cause a loss of hitpoints.” This rule is pretty clear andneeds little elaboration. The DM mustdecide, however, whether he will allowfor adding to hit points lost by othermeans. The cantrip “cannot affect theconcentration of spellcasters.” This alsois clear, but it must be noted that con-centration need not be affected to effec-tively ruin a spell. Many spells are sight-targeted, and impeding the caster’svision may make using the spell impos-sible, even if it is successfully cast. Thecantrip “can only create small, obviouslymagical materials.” How big is small?One pound per level of the caster, up to10 Ibs., is not unreasonable. As for vol-ume, small should fit in the caster’shand.

The last restriction, that a cantrip“lacks the power to duplicate any otherspell’s effects” needs the most clarifica-tion. Read strictly, a phantasmal forcecan create any visual illusion, so acantrip cannot. A ventriloquism or audibleglamor can create an auditory illusion,so a cantrip cannot. An unseen servantcan move things, so a cantrip cannot. AIight can create illumination, etc. A moreappropriate reading is that the cantripcannot duplicate the exact extent ofanother spell. Illusions must be a limitedto certain size (10 square feet, for exam-ple) and will fool only the stupidestobservers, as they will be semi-transpar-ent and wavering, at best. Sound vol-ume should be limited to a human voiceat conversational levels, ability to moveobjects should be equal to a Strengthscore of 3, and light should be no morethan the output of a single candle.

As they are introduced, DM’s shouldmake other decisions about cantripapplications. Some are very strong forone-shot uses, and should be restrictedto one use per casting. Others should beallowed to maintain as long as the cast-

er concentrates. Some other restrictions:no more than one application at a timecan be maintained. Beginning a newone cancels the previous application.Effect on chances to succeed at any featshould never be more than 5% or +1.Defensive applications should neverreduce damage by more than one hitpoint.

Magic item use“In the desert, they have a saying: ‘the

best place to keep your water is in yourself.’In other words, don’t save it. Use it. lf any ofyou graduates dies with spells uncast, I’llpersonally raise you and beat you for it.That goes double for unused magic itemsthat your non-spellcasting companionscan’t use.”

Wizards have the greatest number ofmagic items available to them. Even at1st level, a wizard can use nearly any ofthese items. Any charged or one-shotmagical items found should be used inan appropriate situation, without consid-ering saving it for later. The only excep-tion is if you know in advance that theparty must face an enemy that cannotbe harmed by any other means you cur-rently possess. Again, this rule itself isinvalid if it looks like you’re going to diebefore you get there. If you’re saving thescroll of Melf’s minute meteors for useagainst a gargoyle (which can be hurtonly by magical items or magic spells),but it looks like the ogre you can’t avoidnow will wipe you out, there is no sensesaving the scroll. This applies to allwands, staves, scrolls, potions, certaincharged rings, and non-permanent mis-cellaneous items.

“I’m sure you’re itching to start spell-cast-ing and get to trying all these ideas, so I’ll letyou get on with your ceremony after onemore word of advice. Well, praise, maybe.You’ve made a wise choice to become awizard. None of your companions has thepotential that you do. When you get older,you’ll be a major power in the world. Untilthen, be careful, and good luck!”

Lloyd Brown III is a gamer who lives inFlorida. He has written for DRAGON®Magazine before.

1. Reduced his speed factor by one, that is.

2. Raised speed factor by one. The goblinreceived a saving throw (standard when acantrip is used on an unwilling target).

3. This is especially effective if the potential vic-tims see the caster touch a companion,who shrieks horribly and keels over.

4. Improves AC by one against missile attacks

coming from 10 yards or greater. It is tooslow to be useful in other situations

5. Slows by ½ one animal of size T. Normalsave allowed.

70 MAY 1996

by Christopher Bylerillustrated by Larry Smith

72 MAY 1996

Not all magic has to behigh-powered;little thingscount,too.

on the non-proficiency skills availableto some classes and kits. Practical magic

encompasses the myriad other aspectsof life and the ways magical inventors

have made life easier.

Proficiency magicPlayers and DMs frequently overlook a

character’s nonweapon proficiencies. Abilitiessuch as brewing, juggling, carpentry, and astrol-

ogy take a backseat to spells and combatprowess. If DMs make nonweapon proficiencies

more important in the game, the door to newmagic items swing wide open.

Proficiency magic items work in one of two ways.Items of proficiency grant any person using them the

ability to perform as if he were truly proficient. Thus apair of gloves of juggling give its wearer a proficiency in

juggling equal to his Dexterity score -1 (see page 76 ofthe Player’s Handbook for proficiency tables). If he is a

skilled juggler, the gloves confer no extra benefit.

he heroesi n y o u rg r o u p

have finally defeated FlabbertMegamage. The bard was petrified

before the villain’s berserker bodyguardreduced her to powder, one of the fighters was vapor-

ized by a misdirected lightning bolt, and the wizard’s catfamiliar was eaten by Flabbert’s poodle. Now the sur-

vivors sift through the rubble. They’re expecting magicalitems, and due to their heavy losses, you want to oblige.

However, a vorpal sword and a robe of the archmagi seema bit much to give to 5th- to 7th-level player characters.The problem with the current list of magical items is their

emphasis on battle applications. Weapons, armor, staves, cloth-ing, even most potions and miscellaneous magic items, either bydesign or player ingenuity, find use primarily during combat.

Herein lies the source of campaign imbalance. PCs becomemore heavily armed than a battleship, and character sheets aresoon overloaded with attack, damage, and AC bonuses. Mid-levelPCs are lethal opponents for even the deadliest foes. Much to theDungeon Master’s chagrin, the campaign has become a MontyHaul horror. Players doze during random encounters. Combat,while no challenge to the PCs, becomes a nightmare for the DMas he secretly adds hit points to a monster that was, technically,dead four rounds ago.

Campaign problems like this arise when players see the gameas a string of battles because the DM allows little time to role-playother aspects of the characters’ lives. The players choose differentcharacter classes because some aspect of each class appeals tothem. The DM should tailor magical treasures as well as adven-tures to all abilities and interests present in his group.

Most campaign worlds are infused with enough magic that itshould find its way into most aspects of life. Three types of suchmagic are herein introduced.

Proficiency magic can make even an average practitioner of anonweapon proficiency seem like a master. Skill magic capitalizes

Items of mastery increase a character’s chance of perform-ing admirably in a proficiency he already has. This bonus, likemagical weapons and armor, is expressed as a “plus.” Instead ofaffecting attack rolls or saving throws, the “plus” gives the PC abonus to his proficiency checks. If a PC is a proficient angler witha Wisdom of 13, he requires a roll of 12 or less on a d20 (Wisdom-19 to be successful. If he uses a fishing Iure +2, he needs to roll a14 or less (Wisdom -1 +2) to make a catch.

Items of proficiency and items of mastery can be used in con-junction, though the instances of a PC having access to bothtypes of items for the same proficiency should be rare. A hummerof stonemasonry could be used with a mason’s chisel +1 by a non-proficient character for a final proficiency check of the PC’sStrength -1. Similar items of different proficiencies may not beused in conjunction to combine their effects. A hammer of carpen-try cannot be used with a mason’s chisel +1, nor can a saddle ofhorsemanship be used with a Pegasus bridle +2.

Items of proficiency created for the same proficiency, if usedtogether, confer no bonuses beyond the use of that non-weaponproficiency. However, two items of mastery created for the sameproficiency may be used together, combining their bonuses.Again, this should be rare. For example, a PC who is a proficientcobbler could use a shoeform + 1 with a cobbler’s hammer +2, alter-ing her check by +3, to her Dexterity score +3. This only works ifthe items were not created as a set.

Proficiency magic items are occasionally created as sets. Atoolbox full of enchanted carpentry tools, a sewing kit +3, or a ham-mer and anvil of blacksmithing, if found as a complete set, must beused without other tools or the magic is not passed to the user.Unless the DM decides otherwise, individual items are assumedto have been created singly, for use independent of a set.

It should be noted that items of proficiency do not perma-nently bestow proficiency upon a character, nor do items of mas-tery grant a permanent bonus to proficiency checks. The magicfunctions only while the items are used in the performance oftheir designated proficiency.

No more than two proficiency magic items may be used by aPC at a time. As with magical rings, attempting to use more thantwo at once causes them all to simply cease functioning. A set isconsidered to be a single item.

It is suggested that the enchantment of any item of mastery

DRAGON #229 73

not exceed +3. After all, the character, notthe item, should do most of the work.

Below is a list of nonweapon proficien-cies with suggestions for magic items thatcan be used to enhance the proficiency ofeach. This list is far from complete, and alittle research and ingenuity can inspireendless possibilities.

(The following abbreviations are: PHB,Player’s Handbook; CTH, The CompleteThief’s Handbook; CBD, The Complete Bookof Dwarves; CRH, The Complete Ranger’sHandbook; CSH, The Complete Sha’ir’sHandbook).

• Animal Noise (CTH) — Bird whistle +1,chatterbox of the squirrel.

• Artistic Ability (PHB) — Paintbrush ofartistry, sculptor’s chisel + 1.

• Astrology (PHB) — Orrery +2, star chartsof the astrologer

• Cartography (CRH) — Mapmaker’s kit+3.

• Cooking (PHB) — Skillet of frying, spicerack +2, chefs hat.

• Determine Grade or Slope in Passage(CBD) — Dwarven level +2.

• Diagnostics (CPH) — Forensic gloves +2,medical kit of diagnosis.

• Dwarven Weaponsmithing (CBD) —Forge of the dwarven axesmiths.

• Falconry (CRH) — Gauntlet of falconry,falcon hood +3.

• Navigation (PHB) — Astrolabe +1, navi-gator’s star charts.

• Numeracy (CSH) — Abacus of computa-tion +3.

• Pottery (PHB) — Wheel of pottery pot-ter’s kiln + 1.

• Reading/Writing (PHB) — Eyes of read-ing, quill of writing. (These items areattuned to a specific language, andmay be found as a set. Unlike otherproficiency items, these are nevermade as items of mastery.)

• Seamstress/Tailor (PHB) — Thimble oftailoring, needle +2.

• Tattoing (CSH) — Needle and pigmentsof tattoo artistry.

• Trailing (CTH) — Eyes of trail perception,trailing dust + 1.

• Ventriloquism (PHB) — Dummy of ven-triloquism, voice thrower +3.

Knowledge is powerDMs who like placing books in trea-

sure hoards but cringe at ability score orlevel enhancement may find these ideaswelcome. These tomes, though magical,don’t create super-characters. They givethe PCs an edge through knowledge.

Books of proficiency, when studied foreight hours a day for two weeks, give the

PC a free knowledge proficiency such asagriculture, engineering, languages, andspellcraft. The magic of the book perma-nently inscribes the information in the char-acter’s mind, so no proficiency slots need tobe available to gain the proficiency. Thecharacter’s proficiency score in this freeability is the same as if the character hadspent a slot on it. The exception to this is ifthe PC already has the proficiency thebook covers. In this case, the study of thebook increases the character’s understand-ing of the field, granting the character apermanent +1 bonus to his proficiencychecks, just as if he had spent an addition-al slot on it. A PC may benefit from study ofthe book only once in his lifetime, and ifanother book on the subject is ever found,study confers no additional benefit.

Books of the bards are tailored to theunique talents of this class. Whether thebook is a collection of inspired poetry, off-color goblin jokes, or eloquent historicalnarrative, it expands the bard’s repertoire.After two weeks of study, the bard can usethe knowledge magically bestowed tomodify saving throws against his attemptsto influence reactions (+ or -1 on a d20)or improve his chance of knowing abouta magical item (+5% on d100). Variationsmay exist, at the DM’s option, for the kitslisted in The Complete Bard’s Handbook.

Skill magicWhile typically receiving more atten-

tion than nonweapon proficiencies, theskills granted by a character’s race, class,or kit also find themselves glossed over infavor of combat and spell-slinging. Skillmagic brings these abilities into the lime-light.

Class items are most frequently createdfor use by rogues, due to the large num-ber of non-proficiency skills at their dis-posal, though other classes enjoy theirown unique items.

Pages 90-102 of The Complete Thief’sHandbook contain a list of additionalequipment used by thieves to gain non-magical bonuses to thief skills. Any ofthese may be enchanted for even greatereffectiveness. This enchantment isexpressed as a “plus,” though each “plus”actually represents a 5% bonus to the skillroll. The magical bonus is cumulative withthe equipment’s typical, nonmagical bonus.

Class items that improve a skill usableby more than one class may be used onlyby a character for whose class the itemwas created. For example, a pair of thiefsscissors +1 grants its +5% bonus to a thiefusing it to pick pockets, but a bard cannot

7 4 MAY 1996

use it as effectively, and will not receivethe bonus. Conversely, a rangers shadow-cloak +3 will not impart its 15% bonus toa thief trying to hide in shadows. If the DMdesires, the bonus granted to the item’sclass may become a penalty if used byanother class.

Another type of skill magic, thoughrare, does occasionally turn up. Raceitems are designed to improve a charac-ter’s racial abilities or to impart these abil-ities to a member of a different race. Arace item is always keyed to the race forwhich it was created. A character of anyother race is entirely unaffected by its use.For example, if a monocle of infravision wasmade for a human, only a human can useit — even a half-elf gains no benefit fromthe item.

Here is a short list of skill magic itemsto get your creative juices started:

• Boots of muffled footfalls +1 (MoveSilently).

• Dwarven goggles of enhanced infravi-sion +1: Items of this nature extendinfravision 10’ per “plus,” to a max-imum of 60’ (+6).

• Elven helm of doors + 1 (gives an elf +1bonus on any die to his chance offinding a secret or concealed door.Such an item — which may also bea tiara, hairpin, or even just a hat —may never be enchanted with morethan one “plus”).

• Forestcloak +1 (Hide in Shadows).• Gloves of light-fingeredness +3.• Hacksaw of speed (“cuts” sawing time

in half).• Horn of hearing +2 (Detect Noise).• Infravision Spectacles (this type of

item, created for people normallylacking infravision, imparts aninfravision range of 30’).

• Magnifying lens +2 (Find/RemoveTraps).

• Thief’s lock picks +2.• Shadowcloak +3 (Hide in Shadows).

Practical magicThe remaining aspects of a character’s

life provide a near infinite source of ideasfor practical magic items.

A bard with a penchant for mead whowishes to drink nothing else, a dwarfwhose stubby fingers make fire-startingdifficult, and a traveling mage who enjoyssoaking in a hot bath while studyingspells all have problems not easily solvedwith existing magical items.

Practical magic items have no actual

“pluses.” They move, work, transform, orcreate things in minor ways for conve-nience. Their applications are only limitedby the imaginations of the players and therulings of the DM. Therefore, it may bepossible to impress a band of superstitiouskobolds with flint and steel of instant flame,but not to blind them.

Here is a short list of ideas, a kind ofimaginative jump-start for DMs:

Steins and goblets that transform anyliquid into ale, spirits, mead, wine, cham-pagne, etc., preserve a small portion of aPC’s weekly expenses. Imagine doorknobsthat sound an alarm (as the first-level spell)when they are touched. Animated chairs orbathtubs (complete with running hot andcold water) allow mages to memorizespells and clerics to pray on the go. Spicecontainers that never run out or a jar thatpickles anything put into it are an innkeep-er’s dream.

How about saddles and bridles thatfasten themselves onto the PC’s steed, oran hourglass that turns itself over on thehour? Barrels that roll when tipped, evenuphill, provide transport for equipment orstrong-stomached PCs? Steel chains thatweigh close to nothing might come inhandy. Boots that never allow the wear-er’s feet to get wet, or self-erecting tentswould be boons to campaigners.

Merchants will welcome a scaleweighted in their favor, with magic mask-ing the bias. Parents clamor for clothingthat never gets dirty. Busy bureaucratsvalue a quill pen that takes perfect dicta-tion. Collapsible ladders, blankets thatkeep their user magically warm, saddlesthat ensure comfort for both rider andsteed, and self-heating frying pans can allmake life easier without creating cam-paign imbalances.

Many more magic items can be creat-ed if the players and DM don’t concen-trate on combat, specific spells, and relat-ed game bonuses. Intelligent furniture,floating books, self-lighting candles, evenan outhouse equipped with small disinte-gration chambers (under the seat, ofcourse) add to the sense of wonder nec-essary for a fantasy campaign.

Don’t ignore combat magic — after all,you want your PCs to have a fair chancein a fight — but never forget the peacefulapplications of the art that would flourishin a fantasy setting.

Christopher Byler lives and games inCalifornia.

Continued from page 64

tals get anyway). For sly comedy, sharp-tongued talking cats, and devious appli-cations of magic, Friesner can’t bematched and never disappoints.

Kingdom of sorrow (Boulevard, $5.99)qualifies as a “Recurring Role” becausehalf of author Kenyon Morr is actuallyMark Sumner, known under his ownname for several excellent teen thrillersand for work in the Magic: theGathering* milieu. With collaboratorMarella Sands, Sumner presents the sec-ond tale in a series set in the “King’sQuest” computer-game universe, anddelivers a novel that shouldn’t be over-looked even by those unacquainted withthat setting. Sumner and Sands tell asmoothly understated tale involvingfaerie magic, an ensorcelled giant, and astrong sense of royal duty. Those whocomplain about the quality of tie-in fic-tion should read this novel, and maychange their minds afterward.

John C. Bunnel lives, writes, and reads in aPortland, Oregon apartment containing toomany books and too few bookcases.Correspondence regarding “The Role ofBooks” can be sent to him at 6663 S.W.Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway, Portland, OR97225-1403.

*indicates a product produced by a companyother than TSR, Inc.

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DRAGON #229 75

MAY 199676

DRAGON #229 77

Pyrothraxus couldn’t believe his luck!He perched atop the conical, sheared-off summit

of a dead volcano that rose out of the Sirion Sea,just west of Ergoth, and bared his teeth in a dra-conic grin. From his commanding vantage point hecircled again and again, coiling as he rotated,searching in every direction for any sign of anotherdragon’s presence on the great island. The greatred wyrm peered down the rocky folds of themountain’s flanks — looking for bones and otherscraps of a dragon’s repast, or maybe an old hide,sloughed off and cast aside — but he spotted noth-ing beyond wisps of mist among the woods thatclung to the precipitous slopes. He squinted intothe depths of the volcano’s stony maw, lined withgreat crumbling walls of scree, and discerned noevidence of his kind there either. Fairly satisfiedthat the island lay unoccupied, Pyrothraxus inhaleddeeply and then roared at the top of his lungs, dar-ing any dragon within earshot to answer his claim.His howl shook loose a half-dozen rock slides inthe gigantic bowl below before it rumbled acrossthe water to the shores of Ergoth and beyond —and it left him clutching his head with both fore-claws.

Pyrothraxus’s high-crested, horned crown, allknotty and covered with vermillion-and-blackscales, had been throbbing torturously for hours, asit always did after he killed and absorbed themagical power of rival dragons. Today he hadvanquished no less than three of them: two blacksand another red! Assimilating their arcane essencesleft him feeling as though his brain had been filledwith fire ants, and now his bellicose roar hadaggravated that pain. No matter; to the victoriousPyrothraxus, it was worth every twinge.

“Pyrothraxus, you are so-o-o powerful, yourvoice itself is pain,” he declared. “What creaturewould be foolish enough to answer that call, hmm?None! Pyrothraxus is lord and master of this land!”he said, savoring the sound of his own name.“Pyrothraxus the powerful, Pyrothraxus the great!Pyrothr-r-r-raxus! Destiny grants you this primeterritory!”

Still, could it be possible that no other wyrmclaimed this island? Six years had passed since theGreat Dragons come back to Ansalon from acrossthe sea, and surely in that time at least one ofthem must have found this choice spot, eventhough it was on the far side of the continent.There had to be something wrong with it, some rea-son no one else inhabited the region, let alonedefended it from him (albeit fruitlessly, of course).Pyrothraxus knew he should investigate furtherbefore settling in, but he was tired. Dead tired.

Asleep on the wing, and a little hurt from his bat-tles today.

In several places across his dark orange belly,claw marks sliced through three and four of hiswide, crimson-edged scales. Gory meat withinswelled malignantly, pushing apart the seepingwounds. Acid burns spattered his crimson wings,leaving great expanses of the leathery webbingcharred and porous. On the back of his neck, thejagged gouge of a murderous bite festered andburned infectiously. On top of all that, his throat feltraw from too much fire breathing.

Sleep was what he really needed right now.Sleep, as precious as a hoard of maroon sapphires.

Pyrothraxus waited as long as he could for theanswering cry of a rival dragon, until the only thingthat kept him awake was the steady poundingbehind his slitted yellow eyes. With a final glancearound, he spread his wings, slipped from the pin-nacle, and glided into the hollow of the dead vol-cano, seeking some cleft to crawl under. Sureenough, when he floated to the base of the stonybowl an overhang revealed itself to him, underwhich an ample cavern led into darkness. Thedragon settled to rest at its mouth and sniffed sus-piciously at an odd odor that tickled and flared hisfire-blackened nostrils. Something lived down there,but he couldn’t quite place the scent. Pyrothraxuswas too exhausted to care. This was his island now,and whatever lived in the mountain might make agood breakfast after he slept. He entered the cooldarkness and shimmied on his belly, careful of histender wounds, until he found a nice, level areaabout a dozen tail-lengths in. Gratefully he coiledup and settled in for a nice nap.

“Pyrothraxus,” he uttered with a sigh, noting howthe sound bounced off the walls. No rival couldapproach him unheard down here. At last, he nes-tied his snout under a wing and drifted off to sleep.

As he slipped through the silken veil of slumber,some distant noise drifted behind Pyrothraxus’sreceding consciousness, agitating his distrustfulmind. The sound had no immediate identity — just afaint rustling and clanking, perhaps like somethingbeing dragged along. With fading care, the dragondecided it must be nothing more than a comingdream, woven of natural echoes in the caves underhim. Nevertheless, his angular ears instinctively roseslightly to draw in the disturbance....

“I think it’s this way, based upon my calculationsof how sound travels in confined spaces, modifiedby the type of rock, the general texture of thewails, floor, and ceiling, with compensations for thegeneral vertical structure of the passageways, notto mention the average volume of the dragon’s

78 MAY 1996

breathing, which, if measured against this scale thatI have constructed (which can tell you the approxi-mate size of the creature as well, by the way), andalso — ”

“I beg to differ, I beg to differ! You have forgot-ten to account for the density of the air, and,besides, the caverns in that direction are much toosmall to accommodate a dragon, and if you spent as much time as I have mapping the upper reachessince the Great Remodeling,* then you would knowthat...”

Pyrothraxus cracked an eyelid.“...this is the only way in which it could possibly

lie. Why, if you put your hand to your ear and cupit — no, no, no! Not over your ear, you rube! Likethis. As I was saying, if you cup your hand by yourear and stand with your head at a forty-five degreeangle, then you can tell that the tangent of theecho comes off of the ceiling, which means that itbounced off that wall there, which means —”

“You are wrong, sir. You are wrong. If you willkindly put your head against this wall and rock itback and forth, you will note that the breathing —”

“Whoever you are,” interrupted Pyrothraxus,“you’ll both find me soon enough if you follow thesound of my voice.”

“Why, thank you!” responded not two but sixhigh-pitched voices, which continued with six sepa-rate, simultaneous soliloquies on theories of sound,the density of volcanic stone, some apparatusdesigned to climb stone surfaces, devices that couldmake a large body’s location plain to anyone,materials that receive and transmit vibrations, anda way to illuminate the darkness using an elabo-rate system of bat-powered windmills.

“Shut up!” snarled the dragon, beginning to feela grating in his aching skull.

“He’s talking to you!” whispered one of theapproaching strangers.

“No, you!”“No, you!”“No, you!”“I’m talking to all of you!” bellowed Pyrothraxus,

wincing at the sharpness of his own voice. Hisheadache was deepening. Whatever they were, hewould kill them instantly if they were foolishenough to come within reach. “Come to the soundof my voice,” he added soothingly. “Come and viewthe magnificent Pyrothraxus the Red.”

The voices continued in a hushed debate, furthermuffled by the knock and grind of whatever theywere bringing with them. Soon, the first beams oftheir lanterns broke the crest of the cavern’s floor

where it dropped away, leading deeper into thevolcano. Moments later, the intruders poked theirheads into view and peered with shining, inquisi-tive eyes at the great red. Curly white hair andbeards glowed against light cocoa skin that glis-tened with sweat in the light they brought withthem. As the trespassers climbed fully into view,they grew still more dazzling with their bright-colored clothing and polished tools that swungfrom belts around their pudgy paunches and frombackpacks, which seemed even larger than theirbearers. Over their collective shoulders, the six ofthem slung a long, fat cord of some sort.

Pyrothraxus’s snout wrinkled in disgust. Now herealized why no other dragon had claimed thisisland: It was infested with gnomes! That was theodd smell he’d noticed. Pyrothraxus hadn’t crossedpaths with a gnome since he was a punk lizard,when his mother tricked him into eating one bytelling him they tasted like chicken. He wouldn’tmake that mistake again, but he couldn’t have thelittle pests crawling all over him while he slept,either. Where there were six of these gnats, therewere bound to be six thousand more!

Three of them immediately began to spread thecord along the floor while the other three busiedthemselves unloading their packs and setting upsome sort of peculiar contraption. “Welcome toMount Nevermind, good dragon sir! Be right withyou,” said the fattest one, who then turned his backto supervise the rest of the party, arguing andordering them about. Pyrothraxus blinked andstared while the gnomes worked, befuddled bytheir boundless gall in his exalted presence. Surelythe mere sight of a 300-foot-long red dragonwould scare almost anything to death, yet thesecreatures cheerfully constructed their machine,obviously thrilled rather than terrified before areptile large enough to swallow them all at once.(Not that he would, but they didn’t know that.)They busily attached bladderlike bags to each endof the cord and ran hoses out them, which con-nected to wooden containers at either side, andthen strung a series of ropes and pulleys back andforth along the entire length of the thing.

Shortly, two of the gnomes began to jump upand down on the bladders while two more yankedat the ropes, engaging the pulleys. A misty sprayhissed out of tiny holes in the fat cord and quicklybegan to fill the air. Pyrothraxus sniffed defensivelybut realized it was just oily water.

“What, in the name of the Dark Queen’s talon, isthat?” he asked.

* The “Great Remodeling” is a reference to the explosion touched off by the gnomes during the Summer of Chaos.

D R A G O N # 2 2 9 79

“Just a little something I invented especially forthis occasion,” responded the stout one, whoapproached the dragon and bowed deeply, teeter-ing precariously. The sixth meddler pulled out atablet and began furiously to scribble notes in it,looking back and forth from the machine toPyrothraxus.

“It is my belief,” continued the speaker, “that acool mist of water combined with extract of aloeand a few other, secret ingredients I have con-cocted will thwart the effects of — ahem — dragonbreath (if you’ll pardon the expression). I thoughtthat, after a few questions and answers, you mightbe so good as to make fire, as you dragons do. Yousee, we’ve been looking for a reliable source ofpower to drive some of our machines, and yourapparent ability to generate extraordinary heat atwill might be just the thing! Now, if you don’t mind,we have just a few short questions to ask you —thirty or forty ought to do it for this first visit, andthen I’d like you to —” Squish!

Pyrothraxus lifted his claw and curled his lip atthe remains of the creature under it. He hoped hecould sleep with that decomposing near by; theselittle bugs were so aromatic alive, he couldn’timagine what they smelled like dead. The dragonlifted his eyes toward the rest of the gnomes. Thejumpers paused in their jumping, and the pulleyworkers paused in their pulleying, apparently nothaving considered protection against being steppedon, and scratched their heads in annoyance. Thewriter looked up from his scratching and cried,“Hey! You killed Talimorrandorfinlindle...”

The massive beast drew breath, and the scribepaused in mid-name.

“This is it!” shrieked the gnomes, and the lot ofthem scrambled for cover. Pyrothraxus inhaleddeeply, allowing the heat to swell a few extramoments in his belly before heartily disgorging itin a gout of blistering fire. Radiant white flamesrolled across the cavern floor like raging thunder,flooding the vault and rushing down itslabyrinthine throat. As the infernal tidal wave sweptover the fleeing gnomes, the mist they had createdhissed and thickened into a steam that blotted outthe chamber, blinding Pyrothraxus in spite of hisability to see in perfect darkness.

Somewhere in the void, one or two cries ofmingled panic and elation went up, alertingPyrothraxus that some of them were getting away,so he sprang to his feet and leaped after them,bent upon smearing every last one of the impudentlittle brutes across the walls of his caverns.Impulsively the giant wyrm hurled himself forwardwith all of his might, howling to inject terror into

their souls — and drove his head full-force into aplunging overhang of solid granite!

The crack of his skull rang like an immense, dullbell and reverberated through the volcano, eventriggering a small landslide outside. Brilliant whitestars streaked behind Pyrothraxus’s eyes, and hefell to the floor like a tree struck by lightning. Inevery passing second of the ensuing virtualeternity, the throb intensified, until he could donothing but helplessly coil up and retch. Thewrithing dragon desperately wished he could justblack out, yet his pealing torment would have nopart of it.

Somewhere in the throes of anguish, it occurredto Pyrothraxus that he should leave this placeimmediately. Sweet as the location might be,gnomes were as difficult to eradicate as stirges inthe weeds, and they were thrice as pesky. Theyhad no sense, no fear of impending death, norespect for their betters. One might as well huntroaches until he dropped. Definitely, the best thingto do was leave.

But how many dragons had heard his roaringclaim upon this “Mount Nevermind?” And what sto-ries might the little gadflies spread about his retreatfrom their caves? How far would word travel, thatPyrothraxus the Red had tucked tail and flown thenest? Was he not Pyrothraxus the Magnificent?Pyrothraxus the Unvanquished? Pyrothraxus, mas-ter of all he surveys and desires?

Yes!To leave now would be to admit defeat in the

face of a puny adversary. He could bear all theteeth of all the dragons of all the world of all timeand laugh, but the scorn of wyrmlings as he slunkfrom the holdings of unworthy, scrawny bipedswas cold, wet ruin to his heart. He must not give upthis mountain, this island, this kingdom of his! Hemust never yield so much as a dew claw’s width tothe mightiest Knight of Solamnia, let alone a rabbleof wag-tongued minikins! No! He would neverleave!

Pyrothraxus gingerly drew himself up andrejoiced at the return of his senses. It must havebeen the headiness of his newly absorbed magic(and, of course, that awful headache) thattemporarily robbed him of his brilliance. Why, hewas omnipotence itself, after all. “Wonderful” wasmuch too short a word, “splendid” too common onthe tongue, “superb” too offensive to the truth! Hewas Pyrothraxus, and that was all in all.

The dragon’s course was plain: He would simplyhave to find his way into the heart of thesegnomes’ territory and snuff them all... but first, hehad to sleep, if only for a few hours. Certainly the

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MAY 1996

little troublemakers would think long and hardbefore they came snooping around again, so heobviously had the time. A little peace and quietnow, a little carnage and mayhem later, and he’dbe a new wyrm, so Pyrothraxus settled back to hisside and cradled his belly wounds. He pulled his tailup and wrapped it around his body, then gentlylaid his head upon it for a pillow.

“Ahh,” he sighed. “Sweet, sweet sleep....”“Heave to, boys, and keep it quiet, mind you!”

snapped a voice in the distant darkness, just as thedragon was beginning to snore. “That’s it. Carefulnot to drop it!”

The grunting march of a host of bodies creptinto Pyrothraxus’s listing ears. Still, he stubbornlyclung to his slumber, vainly trying to convince him-self that he was not hearing anything, and almostsucceeded. He was just about to slip into a deepsleep when somewhere in the caves, not far below,the tumultuous din of something wooden underconstruction began to rattle and bang through histender brain. Pyrothraxus’s scarlet eyelids retracted,his eyes rolled down, and the slitted irises fullywidened in the utter blackness.

“What! Are you back again?” he growled omi-nously through the tunnels, and the hammeringhalted.

“I think it’s awake,” muttered a gravelly voice inthe void.

“Shh! Shh! Shh! Shh! Shh! Shh! Shh! Shh! Shh!”hissed a cluster of others. There was a moment ofdead silence... then the banging resumed, furiously.

That was it; they were fried lemmings now!Pyrothraxus uncoiled and slithered down the sink-ing shaft, toward the despicable little nuisancesbeyond. The way divided so he sniffed at eachpassage, but both were scented with the gassy reekof gnomes. Furthermore, the head-splitting ham-mering and sawing down there echoed throughevery corner and cubbyhole, confusing and furtherenraging him. Pyrothraxus made an arbitrarychoice and followed it. Immediately the pathfragmented again, and again and again, until thedragon could only resolve to take the low road atevery turn.

As he drew closer to the din, the tunnels grewnarrower, impeding his progress, so he reachedinto his precious reserve of magical power andconjured a blanket of energy that wrapped abouthis body, and he began to shrink. Soon he haddiminished to about four times the height of agnome as he stood on all four feet, and he beganto descend again. Within the cloak of arcanepower, his body tingled pleasantly — it felt good touse magic, and Pyrothraxus fleetingly yearned forthe past Age, when magic was abundant. Now hecrept easily along the cavern floor and down itssteepening pitch, toward the noisy swarm beyond.

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Abruptly, the shaft turned vertical and openedon the ceiling of a vast volcano-carved chamber ofshiny obsidian and fire-hardened granite.Pyrothraxus clung easily to deep faults in the glassywalls. He hung upside down, stuck his headthrough the hole, and looked about. On the floor,several hundred feet below, in the light of dozensof torches on tripods, a host of gnomes wereputting the finishing touches on a huge tangle ofscaffolding, ropes, wheels, pulleys, levers, poles,hinges, counterweights, hatches, frames, gutters,slides, teeter-totters, nets, gears, crates, and acolossal metal disk that must have required ahundred gnomes to lift it, let alone carry it!Pyrothraxus was dumbfounded by the structure’sdimensions and dizzying complexity, but he waseven more flabbergasted by the speed at whichthey had erected it.

“What?. . .” he blurted, in spite of his plan toattack with surprise. Below, the gnomes looked upand pointed, inexplicably crying to each other as ifthey had just spotted a vein of diamonds.

“‘What,’ indeed!” answered a sinewy old cootamong them. “Allow me to explain! We are veryintelligent people, your dragonship. We know whenwe have offended, and we are known for ouroffense to offense (if you will), so we do not wish todisturb you if you do not wish to be disturbed, sowe have brought you a doorbell so you will knowwhen we are stopping by for a chat and will havethe opportunity to invite us in! I have personally —”

“A doorbell?” interrupted Pyrothraxus, focusingupon the speaker, a blue-clad termite with a nosetwice as long as his face. “A doorbell?”

“Precisely, precisely, a doorbell! I invented ityears ago but never dreamed I would have thechance to use it. Do you want to know what makesit different from all the rest of the doorbells outthere? The explosive power. That’s a touch of class!And now, allow me to demonstrate.”

Pyrothraxus’s eyes widened, zooming in uponthe convoluted structure, as the little manvigorously tugged at a rope before him. A web ofspring-loaded pulleys of myriad sizes spun backand forth as he yanked, translating the small yanksinto long draws. The rope’s opposite end activateda gigantic pendulum, which swung ever moreprodigiously while the gnome pulled, until its tipgingerly knocked a large, black, smooth spherefrom a tee, whereupon the ball rolled down a long,spiraled track — complete with several jumps and aloop-the-loop — and ultimately fell with a splashinto a huge barrel of water. A thick wave sloppedover the barrel’s rim and sloshed to the floor,where a cat sat in a cage, fastidiously bathing itself.

Upon being doused with water, the cat yowledloudly and indignantly, which frightened the heartout of a mouse in another cage nearby. The floorof the rodent’s pen proved to be a treadmill linedwith chunks of flint, which rapidly struck against ablock of steel underneath as the mouse ran in ter-ror, causing sparks to fly hither and yon.Pyrothraxus squinted at the little fire, able to detectwith his keen eyes the ignition and flash of a pieceof twine, which burned in hissing spurts toward thetail of a long, heavy-nosed iron rod that lay in anupward-angled tray. With a flare and a flash, thetail of the baton burst to life and shot it throughthe air with a streak of brilliance. The projectilesailed across the wide, empty space in a long,graceful arc — all heads, including Pyrothraxus’s,turned in unison to watch it in flight — and finallysmashed squarely into the great metal disk, nowhanging from hastily erected uprights, which pro-duced an astounding, low-pitched bo-o-o-o-o-ong-g-g-g-g. An ecstatic cheer went up from the floor.

The resonant toll of the doorbell smashedthrough Pyrothraxus’s sensitive head like a black-smith’s sledge and then shivered through themountain overhead. With a wince, the great redroared, enraged, abruptly stifling the celebratinggnomes. “Death upon all of you, all of you!” hescreamed. “You have taxed the exalted Pyrothraxusbeyond endurance!” He paused momentarily, toenjoy their unfolding terror before swooping in forthe massacre — and at that moment perceived aqueer rumbling behind him.

High above, the mountainous walls of the vol-cano were crumbling and coming down.“Avalanche!” screamed dozens of gnomes, and thecavern below dissolved into chaos.

Behind and above Pyrothraxus, the thunderousflow smashed through the cavern entrance, rushingto fill the empty space, and drove onward, blastingfree even more stone as it descended through thecaves, toward the dragon, who presently clunginverted to a wall in its path. Quickly Pyrothraxusreleased his hold and dropped from the opening,yet even as he flipped over and got his feet underhim, a column of falling scree spouted from theaperture and nailed him squarely in the head!

Pyrothraxus fell as if he were a bag of rocks,himself. He crashed through the scaffolding of thedoorbell, while dozens of gnomes scattered madlyto make room for him, and the whole mess col-lapsed on top of him. Mercifully, the avalanchechoked to a sudden halt as larger boulders cloggedthe tunnels above, but a rain of hefty rubble clat-tered against the lumber piled over Pyrothraxus’sbody, sending up a dense cloud of dust. The

82 MAY 1996

rumbling faded to silence, and for a few momentsthere was utter stillness in the cavern.

Pyrothraxus burst through the pile of wreckage,sat up, and coughed with a cloud of soot. Heseized his poor, aching head and cradled it as itpounded more violently than ever. Even worse,seething indignation swelled in his plated breast,sorely aggravated by frustration he had neverknown and humiliation he dreaded worse thandeath.

“I am Pyrothraxus the Great!” he bellowed to thecavern, expecting to incite a riot, yet there were nognomes in sight. “I am mighty!” he insisted anyway.“I will not be defeated by a swarm of bloatedinsects! You will not evict Pyrothraxus! You will notmake Pyrothraxus the butt of dragonmirth! I amcoming for you, coming for you all!”

The great red squinted at the cavern around himand sniffed at the air. Across the uneven, facetedblack floor, strewn with rubble, lay a large, naturalarch whose base had obviously been paved flat. Heclimbed to his feet and extracted himself from theremains of the doorbell, then crossed to the archand looked in, discovering a wide throughway thatspiraled downward and out of sight. Distant,gnomish cacophony wafted up to his forward-pricked ears, and he ground his teeth in anticipa-tion. Pyrothraxus fully elongated his body andwormed his way into the tunnel, then sped down,down, down to the heart of the old volcano. Alongthe way, the wrathful beast overtook gnome aftergnome, but he simply crushed them with a snarl ashe rushed onward, seeking the population centerat the bottom.

At last, Pyrothraxus found the bottom of theshaft and burst into the grand cavern at the baseof Mount Nevermind. He drew up on his haunches,wheeled around in search of his first target — andfroze, gawking at the ludicrous, impossible specta-cle before him: The ceiling of this sub-mountainouschamber rose out of sight, lost in a tangle of plat-forms, chains, ropes, and netting that filled thespace — occasionally streaked with flying gnomesin hooded suits that sheathed them from head totoe! Tumbling through the air like rotten eggstossed from a nest, the gray-wrapped little peoplesailed along wobbling arcs, only to land uponsome aerial platform or plummet into expansivenets (most of the time). Pyrothraxus sighted backalong the flight path of one and discovered thatthey were actually launching themselves withbizarre catapults!

“What...?”“‘W-what,’ indeed!” answered a nearby gnome,

who had been locked in immobile terror when the

dragon rushed in. (Apparently a question was theonly thing needed to get these flap-jaws started.)“W-w-w-we’re testing our flying suits, mightyd-d-d-d-dragon sir,” he stuttered, then brightened.“And judging by how often the testers overshoottheir targets, I believe we can declare success!”

The gnome cast down his eyes and took a stepcloser, adopting a fawning tone of voice. “Now itwill be easier than ever to visit and talk with you,mighty dragon sir! You fly, don’t you? As long asyou’re here, would you mind answering a fewquestions about making safe landings? It’s the onepart of the equation we haven’t worked out yet.”

The gnome began to probe him with inquiries,but Pyrothraxus had stopped listening. Could it bethat these creatures were actually trying to findways to spend more time with him? The very ideathreatened to unhinge him completely. For amoment, he considered the possibility that he hadfallen asleep the first time he laid down, and thiswas all some magic-driven nightmare. This scenecould not be happening to him: Pyrothraxus theGreat, Pyrothraxus the Magnificent, Pyrothraxusthe Undaunted; Pyrothraxus, Pyrothraxus,Pyrothraxus!. . .

At that moment, a pair of obese gnomes,unusually confident that their flying suits were fullyfunctional, decided to buzz on over and say hello.They leaped upon a single gnomeflinger, barked outorders to adjust the trajectory, and hit the trigger.The catapult uncoiled smoothly, launching themskyward toward Pyrothraxus, who presently wasabsorbed in his own thoughts. Too late, thegnomes realized that they had not yet incorporated“course alterations” into the suits’ workings.Together they descended, flailing and screamingmadly, and together they tumbled down upon — ofcourse — the dragon’s poor head. Pyrothraxuslooked up only in time to receive an elbow directlybetween the eyes, and he went down like a weak-ling — glass-jawed and feather-horned.

“Excuse me! I was talking to the dragon!”protested the nearby researcher. The fat fliers rolledto their feet, wrung their hands as they lookeddown upon their reptilian guest, and began toargue with each other over who’s fault it was.

Pyrothraxus the Red arose like a blood storm, inagony beyond sanity and completely bereft of somuch as a fang’s tip of control over himself. Hebecame a thing solely driven by instinct, and thatinstinct commanded him to kill, to breathe fire! Thedragon reared, drew wind, and then expelled con-flagration upon the nearest moving things: the twofat gnomes. They had no chance to run, so they fellto the floor and curled up helplessly. Flames

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washed over them and blotted them from sight, butwhen Pyrothraxus interrupted his attack to inhale,the flying gnomes untucked and looked at eachother! Pyrothraxus held his breath momentarily,coherent enough to understand that breathed-ongnomes should not be moving anymore, and thenbelched fire at them again. The flames died away,and despite considerable charring, the little verminseemed to be fine!

“The suits!” they squealed, leaping to their feet.“The flying suits are flameproof! Breathe on usagain, sir dragon! Breathe on us again!”

The room began to spin around Pyrothraxus ashe was surrounded by throngs of creatures inhooded suits who all chanted, “Breathe on us,breathe on us!” He howled insanely and respondedto their demands, blowing fire in every directionagain and again, staring at them from somewhereoutside himself as they leaped up and down andbegged to be breathed upon once more. Theirvoices blended into an echoing clamor of squeakyvoices, relentlessly shouting, “Breathe! Breathe!”and he complied mindlessly.

Pyrothraxus reeled drunkenly, exhausting hisbreath weapon, and was about to collapse when avoice somewhere parted the general chant with thewords, “Don’t breathe over here! Don’t breathe overhere...” Desperate to accomplish just one thingthat would displease anyone besides himself, heleaned in that direction and expelled his last goutof flames, just as he heard the words, “... this isexplosives storage!”

The blast went off in Pyrothraxus’s face.Had the dragon not been red, the fire ball would

surely have incinerated him on the spot. On theother hand, red dragons are not immune to theconcussion of an explosion, so Pyrothraxus wascast across the great chamber like a gnome on aflinger. Meanwhile, the initial blast touched offanother one, deeper underground, roughly joltingthe cavern, and that in turn was answered by aquake that shook the mountain to its roots.

The city began to shudder and fall apart. Greatslabs of stone broke free of the walls and ceiling,and smashed to the floor of the cave, dangerouslynear the dragon. Gnomes began to run in all direc-tions, some of them scrambling right overPyrothraxus, on their way along the shortest dis-tance between two points. Huge platforms over-head listed and dumped their contents, creating arain of trinkets and gizmos around the prostratewyrm, followed by falling rocks.

Now, Pyrothraxus clung desperately to con-sciousness, certain that he would never wakenagain if he gave in to his impulse to sleep right

now. Feeling death’s grip on his tail, he shut hiseyes tight and concentrated with all his might onsummoning up magic. The effort shot slicing painthrough his head as he mentally ripped open hisreserves of magical essence and willed a shield tosolidify above him.

As soon as some feeling returned to his limbs,he labored to his feet and staggered for the exit bywhich most of the gnomes had fled. Meanwhile,the city crashed around him as he tripped alongthe quaking ground. His magical shield moved withhim, but each blow of falling debris upon it drainedthe barrier and sent piercing shock waves throughPyrothraxus’s battered skull. At last he cleared thegrand cavern and struggled along a winding corri-dor. Light appeared ahead, so he bore down andheaved himself toward it, even as the tunnel col-lapsed at his haunches.

The brightness of a new morning stung his eyesand inflamed his headache to yet new torment asPyrothraxus broke free of Mount Nevermind. Atthe lip of the exit he stumbled over his own feet,fell, and rolled down a short slope which ended ina sheer drop-off. The Great Dragon plunged head-long into a grove of trees, cracked his way throughthe thick branches, and eventually came to a bluntstop in a gigantic clump of thorn bushes. As he laythere with the wind knocked from him, each scaleof his tubular body cried out to him, fruitlesslystriving to distract him, even for an instant, fromthe leaden tolling in his skull.

One last explosion shook the island, and a thickspout of yellowish ash sprayed skyward beyondthe mountain ridge. Pyrothraxus gazed throughblurred vision at the rising plume of smoke andthen squinted against the hail spray of dirt andstones that pelted him in the wake of the eruption.The sharp odor of sulfur filled his nostrils.

Perhaps the volcano was not as extinct as itseemed....

In the forest around him, gnomish cries went up,and Pyrothraxus chuckled despite his pain. Thedismay of the runty survivors, just now realizingthey were completely homeless, was victorysweeter than destroying a rival dragon. “Thus,Mount Nevermind becomes the lair of Pyrothraxusthe Red,” he concluded.

But something was not quite right. Those voicessounded — somehow — happy! He raised his headand craned his ears forward, seeking to hear themmore clearly.

“At last! At last!” he heard one yell. “It’s amiracle!” shouted another. “Now we finally have aninexhaustible source of heat!” cried several others.

Continued on page 88

84 MAY 1996

by Keith Strohm

M: Okay, your party has just returned tothe trade city of Baronvea after a suc-cessful foray against Fenrik the

Wolflord. What are your characters doing?Thanduz (a priest): Umm. . . is there a

temple dedicated to my deity anywhere inthe city? I took a nasty bite from Fenrik, andI want to make sure I haven’t been inflictedwith lycanthropy.

DM (smoothly): Yes there is. You askaround a bit and are told to follow the largestreet north of Market Square.

Solach (a thief): I’m going to take a strollinto Market Square. Do I see any signs oflocal guild activity?

DM (rolling dice): Well, you look aroundthe bustling marketplace and manage tospot two nondescript-looking gentlemenstealthily approaching an obviously suc-cessful merchant.

Sir Pelthan (interrupting): Never mindabout that no-good thief! I’m going to rideout and pay my knightly respects to theDuke of Baronvea; its been a while since I’veseen another Knight of the Star. I also needto talk to him about the strange disappear-ance of the Knight-General of our order.

DM (hesitantly): Umm... if appears thatthe duke is out hunting.

Sir Pelthan: Hunting? But the duke’s keepis practically surrounded by swampland!

DM: Well, would you believe he wascalled away on a diplomatic mission?

Sir Pelthan: This is ridiculous! I thoughtyou just said he was hunting?

DM (sheepishly): Dukes are usually pret-ty busy people, you know.

Play stops as the players begin togrumble about that new collectible cardgame they’ve been dying to try.

Unfortunately, nothing spoils a play-er’s enjoyment of the game like a DMwho’s obviously unprepared, especially

How many times during your travelsthrough many different campaignworlds have you run into a slightlybefuddled mage who eventually renderssome assistance? That particular NPC

�A� is for NPC

when NPC encounters are involved. In aperfect world, Dungeon Masters have allthe time they need consistently to createbelievable NPCs who live in a complexand engaging campaign world. The realworld, however, is far from ideal. School,work, relationships, and the responsibil-ities of life in general often curtail exten-sive campaign development.

How, then, can an aspiring DungeonMaster successfully create an array offully developed NPCs and avoid theembarrassment and confusion of beingunprepared? The answer is simple. Bypaying close attention to the three A’s —Appearance, Attitude, and Aspiration —a Dungeon Master can easily developan important and recurring NPC in meremoments.

AppearanceThe first stage of NPC generation is

simply to describe how an NPC looks.Appearance includes the NPC’s physicalattributes — from build to hair color — aswell as any relevant statistics. It is notusually necessary to provide completestatistics for non-adventuring NPCs.DMs who are pressed for time shouldfudge these numbers or simply deter-mine those statistics they feel will havethe greatest impact on gameplay.

has become a stock character in fantasygaming and literature, so presentingyour PCs with yet another kindly oldmage will mute the impact of the storyyou are trying to tell. The stock NPCmay even appear as an obvious “flag” toyour experienced players: “Oh, a kindlyold man in robes. Well, I talk to him fora while to see if he has a wand or otheritem that will help us deal with thetrolls.” Instead of an exciting encounterwith a unique individual who deepensthe storyline, the whole event becomesa transparent facade; the players arethrust out of their adventuring person-aes and realize that they are Jim, Marlo,and Eugenia, three college students try-ing to solve a puzzle before the pizzadelivery arrives.

If, on the other hand, you tell themthat the old mage speaks with a slightrasp and has a pulsating chromatic orbin place of his left eye, you’ve made thatstock NPC much more interesting andmemorable. The mage’s pulsating orb,and the tale of how he came by it, mayeven provide an intriguing story hookfor a future adventure.

Another element to consider duringthis stage of NPC generation is the actu-al physical location of the NPC. Wheredoes he live? People are often shapedby their surrounding environment, sowhy should your NPC be any different?Rough, unsettled territories rarely pro-duce foppish courtiers or errant roguesused to making some easy money.Rather, these harsh environments areoften home to those brave of heart andstrong of arm. Consider the ruler of asmall area located in a frozen waste. It isprobable that this ruler has little time for

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the niceties of courtly life, since eking anexistence from the bitter elements thatplague his land, and combating thefierce creatures of the wastes occupymuch of his time. This NPC is likely to bean imposing figure, possessing a muscu-lar frame and a squint made permanentfrom many travels across the sun-reflecting ice.

Other locations may also provideimportant elements for NPC develop-ment. Cities have their dark alleywaysand bustling marketplaces, forests andrural areas have their own particularpace of life, and temples have mustyvaults and dimly lit libraries. Just aboutany locale can aid a DM in the creationof an NPC. The key is to imagine theNon-Player Character interacting withthe environment. What effect will ithave on him physically? Will harsh con-ditions harden his body? Will these con-ditions possibly be detrimental to theNPC’s health? These are all questionsthat a DM should ask when creating aNon-Player Character.

Another factor to consider during thisphase of NPC development is the char-acter’s profession. What does he do for aliving? Your answer will have a greatimpact upon the NPC’s appearance. It isquite difficult to pick a butcher out of acrowd (provided he is not covered inanimal gore), and not every studentlooks bookish or emaciated, but certainprofessions do leave telltale marks onits adherents’ physical appearance. Forinstance, a blacksmith is likely to have awell developed upper body, especiallyhis arms, and a heat-reddened face. Theaforementioned student may have tosquint a bit from reading musty tomesby candlelight.

These physical cues may be morepronounced on those NPCs who choosetravel and adventure as a way to makea living. Adventuring is dangerous busi-ness, and those brave few who call theroad their home more than likely bear anumber of scars to prove it. In addition,an NPC’s area of expertise will eventual-ly leave its mark upon him. While it isnot impossible for a rogue to have amuscular physique much like a warrior,years of training the hands and eye forsubtle manipulations and acts of finecoordination leave little time for studyingthe arts of war and bodily development.Likewise, all mages do not have toresemble the gaunt and physically pow-erless form of the young Raistlin fromthe DRAGONLANCE® novels; however, wiz-ards do spend most of their time plumb-

ing the uncharted depths of mystic lore.Such a legacy will remain apparent evenon those who have long since left theirstudies behind. Again, it is important toconsider the physical ramifications of anNPC’s profession during the initial cre-ation process.

Finally, a DM should consider anNPC’s age. Is the NPC enjoying the firstflush of youth, or has he long sinceabandoned those carefree youngerdays — walking, as it were, in his more“mature” years? Perhaps the NPC teeterson the threshold of senility and dodder-ing old age.

The answers to these questions havea profound impact upon the physicalmakeup of the NPC as they provide theDM with fuel for description. For exam-ple, a DM interested in the developmentof a memorable old shopkeeper rarelyrelies on just a simple adjective like“old.” Instead, the DM may describe thewizened crow’s feet that flair out likewebbing from the sides of the shop-keep’s eyes, or he may concentrate onthe slight quaver that marks the shop-keep’s voice. Again, an extremely rigor-ous attention to detail may be impossi-ble for a time-pressed DM; however, afew moments spent examining the ageof a developing NPC can easily yieldone or two physical “cues” that makethe NPC in question much more memo-rable.

The Duke of Baronvea revisitedUsing the methods discussed in this

stage, a DM can quickly generate theAppearance of the (unfortunately)incomplete Duke of Baronvea. The DMknows from the example that the dukeresides in a keep surrounded by swamp-land — a rather hazardous terrain to set-tle. Furthermore, he knows that theduke is also a knight of some renown.These two simple facts open up awealth of possibilities for the DM:

His Grace, Duke Willym Lonsold, lord ofBaronvea and knight of the realm, enjoyeda noble upbringing immersed in the practi-cal arts of statecraft and warfare. His father,a wealthy baron and knight, sponsored theyoung lad info the knightly orders. There,Willym received further training in the noblearts of war. Soon, the gifted squire receivedhis knightly spurs and began a long adven-turing career. Willym’s long and tireless pur-suit of justice, as well as his heroic deeds, didnot go unnoticed.

Several years ago, the king elevated SirWillym to the Dukedom, granting him as his

86 MAY 1996

fief the growing trade city of Baronvea, aswell as all the lands within a week’s ridefrom the city. Duke Willym then set aboutclearing his lands of dangerous beasts andfierce monsters that would imperil his sub-jects. Under his guidance, the city ofBaronvea has prospered.

The road to knighthood is aninvolved one indeed, requiring manyyears of training and preparation.Furthermore, Sir Willym must haveadventured for a while in order to reachat least 9th level — the minimum levelrequired before a fighter may gain fol-lowers. Therefore, we can assume thatWillym is no longer a young man.Finally, such intense training and obvi-ously dangerous adventuring experi-ences must have left their marks on theknight. All of these factors provide ampleinspiration for the DM’s continued char-acter generation:

Although no longer in his fighting prime,Duke Willym still remains a fierce fighter. Hisfall, muscular body has not run to fat like somany other rich nobles; he keeps himself inshape by accompanying his men-at-armson some dangerous expeditions. Willymhas thick graying hair which he wears long,and a well trimmed salt and pepper beard. Along scar, reputedly given to Willym by adying red dragon, runs across his often fur-rowed brow. The duke never goes any-where without Krystom, his sun blade +2.

AttitudeAttitude is the second stage in NPC

generation; it covers not only an NPC’spersonality but his entire worldview aswell. How does the NPC view himself inrelation to others? Does he have anystrong loves or hates? What, if anything,does he believe in? Is there anythingthat truly frightens or horrifies this NPC?Does he have any strange quirks or idio-syncracies? These are all questions thatshould be asked when developing thisaspect of your NPC.

The DUNGEON MASTER® Guide provides ahighly useful table for generating NPCpersonalities which offers ideal assis-tance to overworked DMs. Such gameaids can often become a crutch, howev-er. Besides introducing the all-too-capri-cious effects of chance into campaigncreation (imagine the dice determiningthat our noble and courageous Duke ofBaronvea was actually a craven,immoral, lying scoundrel), most tablesgenerate the “what,” not the “why,”offering a merely one- or two-dimen-

sional “quick fix” to questions of cam-paign creation.

A random table may determine thatan NPC displays laconic tendencies, butthe player lacks any sort of clue as towhy he acts laconically. It is very difficultto role-play a believable NPC withoutany sort of insight into his personality.

Alignment is a key factor in determin-ing an NPC’s personality and idealogy.Once the DM decides on the alignmentof a particular NPC, it provides him witha developmental framework on whichto build a personality of some depth.This does not mean that alignmentautomatically determines an NPC’s per-sonality. Experienced gamers know thatalignment is not a straightjacket. LawfulGood characters are not always kindand helpful people willing to risk theirlives to aid an adventuring group;rather, they can sometimes come acrossas arrogant, churlish, and petty.Likewise, Chaotic Evil NPCs do notalways manifest themselves as the latestincarnation of pure evil; sometimesthese individuals can be gentle andeven kind.

The amibiguities found within align-ment groups provide the DM with a greatdeal of freedom to shape an NPC’s per-sonality without resorting to tired stereo-types. For example, a DM knows that aChaotic Good NPC will in some wayvalue personal freedom and the conceptof the individual over highly developedand highly rigid concepts and structuresthat promote “the good of the many.”This may manifest itself in a myriad of dif-ferent ways. The NPC may demonstratenothing but contempt for anything andanyone that represents or supports rigidconcepts of Law, or he may quietly toler-ate a perceived injustice, all the whilesilently working towards its eventualabolishment. Perhaps the NPC is justplain lazy and does not wish to be both-ered by “civic responsibility” and duty.The list of possibilities extends as far asthe imagination of the DM.

When examining alignment in rela-tion to an NPC’s personality, it is impor-tant to return to that character’s occupa-tion. Certain professions strengthen andsupport alignment tendencies. Forexample, a cleric NPC will probablyinvolve himself more deeply in thestruggle between good and evil. If thiscleric serves the powers of Law andGoodness, he may be more intolerant ofchaos or evil. Holy fighters, such as pal-adins and all those who ally themselveswith temples and deities, naturally take

matters of alignment very seriously.Even certain wizard and rogue kits maystrengthen the degree to which align-ment shapes the development of anNPC’s personality.

Once the DM creates an initial frame-work, he can begin to flesh out the NPC’spersonality. Does the Non-Player Char-acter have any strong love or hatred forparticular. individuals, creatures, orissues? Perhaps the Chaotic Good mer-chant in your campaign despises thehigh taxes that are levied to support theoverly institutionalized (from his perspec-tive) beauracracy of the city. Player char-acters who interact with the merchantduring any sort of official business (a mis-sion or quest undertaken on behalf ofthe government, for instance) may expe-rience a rather frosty reception. On theother hand, an otherwise unfriendlyNeutral woodsman with a fascination forthe “faerie-folk” might happily divulgesome much needed information ifapproached by an elven PC.

The DM should also explore otherareas of the NPC’s personality, such asthe existence of any deep seated fears orintense phobias. In the hands of animaginative DM, these factors not onlyadd realism and depth to an NPC, theyalso influence the development of per-sonality, and color the NPC’s interac-tions.

Consider the affect that a phobia ofheights might have on a fierce andproud warrior. Will he try to hide it in aneffort to maintain his dignity and repu-tation? Does the proud fighter carryaround deep-rooted feelings of shame?How will he react to a group of PCs whotry to enlist him for a dangerous questthat will lead to the top of an immensemountain. Will the warrior act defen-sive? Will he greet the PCs warmly orbelligerently? The answers to thesequestions will profoundly shape theNPC’s personality.

A DM should also consider whetheror not a particular NPC possesses anyidiosyncracies. Adding some strangehabits or mannerisms to an NPC defi-nitely brings him to life in a very effec-tive way. Ideally, these idiosyncraciesshould stem from particular elementsfound in other areas of the NPC’s devel-opment. Perhaps the phobic fighter dis-cussed above refuses to travel any-where without wearing a brightly col-ored (and easily detectable) fez-like hatwhich he believes to be permanentlyenchanted with a feather fall spell. Thescope and range of these strange habits

is practically limitless. It is important,however, to include them sparingly inany campaign.

A constant array of twitchy, quirky,and bizarre NPCs dampens their overalleffect on players.

Duke Willym — a case studyThe duke, besides his granted member-

ship in an organized and hierarchical gov-ernment, also belongs to a strictly regiment-ed society of warriors dedicated to thedefense of the weak and helpless againstthe cruel forces of evil. The DM decides thatthese factors dictate the duke’s alignment aslawful good, then continues:

The Duke of Baronvea believes stronglyin the principles of justice and in the wisdomof structured government. Nobles have asacred duty to protect and fairly rule all whodwell within their lands. Likewise, serfs, citi-zens, and vassals have an obligation toobey and serve their liege. In the duke’sview, the fulfillment of these duties repre-sents the very fabric of a just society.

As a Knight of the Star and a devout fol-lower of Palamabron, god of justice, DukeWillym has little tolerance for the injusticesthat stem from selfishness and greed. Hisjudgments are swift, and his justice is oftenharsh. Despite this, the duke’s vast experi-ence adventuring in distant lands has tem-pered the steel of his righteousness withcompassion. All good-hearted people whogain audience with Willym are treated withwarmth and the courtesy that befits theirstation.

Unbeknownst to most of his subjects,Duke Willym’s last quest ended in tragedy. Afierce encounter with the red dragon,Khaerinoth, left his entire party dead.Willym slew the dragon by himself in one-on-one combat; the battle, however, left hisbrow, and his psyche, deeply scarred. DukeWillym is now absolutely paranoid about allthings draconic; he is convinced that the off-spring of Khaerinoth will hunt him down.No matter what season, Willym sends acadre of men across his lands on “dragonwatch.” He may even hire the player char-acters to track down a draconic beast whichhe believes “lurks even now in the dankswamp around my castle.” Any attempt todissuade him of his paranoid beliefs will bemet with fierce denial and possibly anger.

AspirationThis third and final stage of develop-

ment deals primarily with the NPC’smotivations, dreams, plans, and desires.In many respects, the outcome of thisthird section will grow naturally from the

DRAGON #229 8 7

information developed in the first twostages of generation. By now, the DMshould know the NPC’s appearance, per-sonality, and basic philosophy; all otherconsiderations of the Non PlayerCharacters aspirations must remain con-sistent with that basic information. Itwould not make sense for a faithfulpriest of a dwarven war god to champi-on a peace treaty with a large communi-ty of derro. Likewise, it is extremelyunlikely that the noble and just Duke ofBaronvea would involve himself in a plotto overthrow a fair and effective ruler.

This required consistency actuallyrenders the final stage of NPC genera-tion fairly straightforward. The DM needonly do two things to develop the NPC’saspiratons. First, the DM should considerthe ultimate role that the NPC will playin the campaign. Is he a featured villainfor an adventure or series of adven-tures? Perhaps the NPC acts as a storyhook or introduces an important ele-ment or theme into the campaign?Maybe he is merely meant to add colorto a scene or particular encounter?Clearly identifying an NPC’s role will goa long way towards developing theiraspirations, and it just might save theharried DM some time. After all, it ishardly necessary to create an elaborateset of motivations for a “one-shot” NPC— no matter how prominent he figuresin a particular adventure.

Once the NPC’s role is clearly identi-fied, the DM should re-examine theresults of the first two stages of charac-ter development. Areas like age, loca-tion, occupation, alignment, and espe-cially strong loves, fears, and hates, allaffect the development of an NPC’smotivation.

Continued from page 84

Consider, once again, the example ofthe CG merchant. His hatred for the“unjustly” high taxes of the tyrannicalcity government has already beendeveloped, The DM might pursue thisaspect of the merchant’s personalitywhen developing his aspirations.Perhaps the merchant plots the downfallof the city government and plans to hiresome PCs to extract damaging personalinformation about members of the rul-ing council. Or maybe he hopes torecover his financial tax losses by over-charging on some or all of his goods.The DM can easily expand this initialdevelopment by re-examining someother components of the NPC’s appear-ance or attitude; once again, the permu-tations are practically limitless

Noble ambitionsThe Dungeon Master, realizing that

Sir Pelthan’s player is extremely excitedabout the dissappearance of the KnightGeneral of the Star, decides to expandthat sub-plot to include the Duke ofBaronvea. He then takes a look back atthe other stages of the duke’s develop-ment to see if there might be somethinghe can use:

Despite Duke Willym‘s fierce loyalty tothe king, the proud and noble warrior is notexactly happy with the primitive (and smelly)location of his castle. The Swampland ofKador is not a suitable residence for the “Lionof Lonsold.” Secretly, Willym hopes that theking will once again recognize his superioraccomplishments and grant him more hos-pitable lands upon which to rule.

The recent disappearance of Lord Brion,Knigh-General of the Star, could be theopportunity Willym has been seeking. Lord

Brion left several months ago on a quest todestroy Dornuea, the Witch-Queen ofGwyryth. He should have returned at leasttwo weeks ago; it is probable that thewitch’s enchantments proved too great forthe aging knight. This leaves the Knights ofthe Star without a strong leader. lf Willymcould somehow recover Clarion, theKnight-Generals traditional sword, anddefeat Dornuea, he would be elevated tolead the knights. Duke Willym would thenbe granted rulership of Tharndor Keep, amagnificent militant castle located to thenorth of Baronvea. Willym could thenappoint his nephew, Geoffrey, to rule thelands around the Kador Swamplands in hisname.

These thoughts have been runningthrough Willym’s head for some time now,and he will do everything within the boundsof honor and justice to see them come tofruition.

NPCs are the ultimate tools for a DM;they are often the means through whichhe guides, confounds, amuses, andrewards his players. In addition, NPCsadd depth and flavor (always valuablein a continuing campaign) to any set-ting. It is easy to see, then, why suchimportant elements must be more thanjust bland, “cardboard cutout” figures.

An examination of the three A’s —Appearance, Attitude, and Aspiration —offers the DM a quick and effective wayto create memorable, three-dimensionalNPCs.

Keith Strohm is a game editor at TSR,Inc. He is a wonderful person and hopes oneday to effect world peace.

Excitement turned to glee, and glee to euphoria.Pyrothraxus let his head fall limply back, banging it

against a boulder, which extracted a clipped “Ow!”from him. He sighed dejectedly. Let them come andslay him now; he was done.

Suddenly, the great red wyrm decided he would goto sleep right there, without moving a single claw.Maybe the gnomes would even forget about him forawhile. They had their stinking power source, after all,and there was one heck of cleanup in front of them ifthey planned to stick around (and somehow he knewthey would). Besides, they couldn’t see him downhere, lying in these (“Ow!“) bushes. Definitely, the time

and place of rest had come. His eyes glazed over andeased shut, and his breathing slowed to an easy,rhythmic pace.

Through the haze of fast-approaching, blissful sleep,his keen ears instinctively pricked and harkened to thewhispery buzz of a half-dozen perky little voices, draw-ing near...

David Wise is director of creative services at TSR, Inc. Helives in Elkhorn, Wisconsin, with his wife and her cat, aworthy and almost gnomelike adversary.

88 MAY 1996

by Skip Williams

lf you have any questions on the gamesproduced by TSR, Inc., “Sage Advice” willanswer them. In the United States andCanada, write to: Sage Advice, DRAGON®Magazine, 201 Sheridan Springs Road,Lake Geneva, WI 51347, U.S.A. In Europe,write to: Sage Advice, DRAGON Magazine,TSR Ltd., 120 Church End, Cherry Hinton,Cambridge, CB1 3LB, U.K. You can also e-mail questions to tsrsage@aol.com. We areno longer able to make personal replies.Please send no SASEs with your question.SASEs are being returned with copies of thewriter’s guidelines.

ticulars of some optional rules.

Join the Sage for a look into the innerworkings of a few spells from theAD&D® 2nd Edition game and the par-

I run a F ORGOTTEN REALMS® campaign.Recently, the PCs discovered andexplored an ancient illusionist’s crypt.Within, they found more that 80 stonetablets that comprised the dead illu-sionists spell books. The tablets weretoo heavy to move, so the party cameback later and did rubbings of thetablets. All the spells were written in thesecret language of illusionists. Fromwhat I can gather from the FORGOTTEN

REALMS boxed set, this language pos-sesses some dweomer. My impressionis that it is resistant to comprehend lan-guages and similar spells, and thusunreadable to all but actual specialtywizard illusionists. I would think that asecret language of wizards would notbe susceptible to something as simpleas this or other low-level spells. Is thiscorrect?

The High-Level Campaigns bookstates on page 144 that monsters haveno THAC0 limits, but their THAC0 tablestops at 16+ Hit Dice. Can they improvepast the 16+ Hit Dice level?

Yes. Just extend the progression fromTable 39 of the DUNGEON MASTER® Guide.

does allow characters to read Ruthlek.

The 1st-level wizard spell comprehendlanguages cannot decipher magical writ-ing or magically warded writing (seespell description, Player’s Handbook,Appendix 3, page 172). Insofar asRuthlek (the secret script used by illu-sionists in the FORGOTTEN REALMS world) is“dweomer guarded,” a character usingcomprehend languages should not be ableto read it. A read magic spell, however,

On the other hand, copying spellbooks is a difficult process that takestime (one to two days of work per levelof the spell being copied) and materialsof the highest quality. Simple tracings orrubbings cannot duplicate a spell book.

The DM™ Option: High-Level Cam-paigns book said mortals can go nohigher than 30th level. Do phaerimm (ofthe FORGOTTEN REALMS setting) reallyhave wizard abilities to 40th level?

While mortals hit their limit whenthey reach 30th level, the phaerimmaren’t necessarily cut from the samecloth as normal mortals are. The upcom-ing Arcane Age products provides thedefinitive answer to your question.

Monsters with 17 or 18 hit dice haveTHAC0s of 3, monsters with 19 or 20 hitdice have THAC0s of 1, monsters with21 or 22 hit dice have THAC0s of -1,and so on. Note that the monster stillmisses if it rolls a 1 on its attack die, nomatter what its THAC0 is

The High-Level Campaigns book didnot show any special abilities gained bydruids after 20th level. Do they still gainabilities to travel to the plane ofShadow, alternate worlds, and theOutlands (Concordant Opposition) from21st to 23rd level?

You’re referring, I assume, to the extraabilities granted to the highest levelhierophant druids in the old UnearthedArcana tome. When I wrote High-LevelCampaigns, I hadn’t intended to allowdruids the extra planar access or ele-mental summoning abilities they gainedin Unearthed Arcana. Druids do receive allthe abilities listed in High-Level Campaignsfor priests of levels 20 and up, except forimproved undead turning at 21st level. Ifyou like, you can replace improvedundead turning with the power to enterthe para-elemental planes.

Is it possible to cast a true dweomer(from the High Level Campaigns book)whose final difficulty rating is morethan 100?

No. To cast a true dweomer, a char-acter has to complete preparations forthe spell and roll the final difficulty num-

DRAGON #229 8 9

ber or higher on 1d100. Obviously, if thespell’s final difficulty is more than 100,the spell can’t be cast (because you can’troll more than 100 on 1d100). Currently,there is no skill or item in the game thatgrants characters bonuses to difficultyrolls, but the spell caster can modify thespell by adding special conditions andmaterial components that reduce thedifficulty number.

Using material components and spe-cial conditions to reduce a spell’s diffi-culty has some limits, as explained onpages 130 through 133. If the castercan’t provide enough conditions andcomponents to lower the final difficultyto 100 or less, he can double the spell’spreparation time and reduce the spell’sfinal difficulty by half. If that still doesn’tdo the trick, the caster has to go back tothe drawing board and redesign thespell or go looking for enough exoticspell components to get the difficultydown to a workable number; there’s nolimit to the number of exotic materialcomponents used in a true dweomer.

Casting true dweomers requirespatience, dedication, and imaginationfrom both the player and the DM. Apowerful true dweomer could take yearsof game time to complete as the casterscours the land for components. If eitherthe DM or player doesn’t feel up to it, it’sbest not to use true dweomers at all.

I have been wondering, can a drag-on use its breath weapon if its mouth isshut? What if someone was in the drag-on’s mouth? How much damage wouldthe person suffer? How much wouldthe dragon suffer?

Whether any monster can use abreath weapon with its mouth shut isentirely up to the DM. Common sensesuggests that a dragon (or any othercreature with a breath attack) wouldhave to open its jaws at least a little toloose a breath weapon. But, it is also rea-sonable to assume that a creature canuse its breath weapon if it can breathe. Itdoesn’t matter which option you choose,so long as you use it consistently.

Note that just tying a creature’smouth shut probably won’t guaranteethat it can’t use its breath weapon, itmight break the bonds or work themloose and blast away when its captorleast expects it.

In any case, a creature with its mouthclamped shut suffers no ill effects whenit tries to loose a breath weapon.

A creature loses all Dexterity adjust-ments to saving throws and suffer a -4saving throw penalty if it’s unfortunateenough to be stuck in a dragon’s orother monster’s mouth when the mon-ster uses a breath weapon. A creaturestuck in a monster’s mouth never blocksa breath weapon; the breath affects thestuck creature and fills its normal area ofeffect, too.

Does the +1 bonus to damage fromthe chant and prayer spells apply todamage that spells inflict? If so, doesthe bonus apply to each die of damageor to the whole total?

The damage bonuses or penaltiesapply to any attacks the spell recipientsmake, including spell attacks. The bonusor penalty applies to the damage roll,not to each die used in the roll. If anattack, such as a fireball spell, affects mul-tiple creatures at once, the bonus orpenalty is applied once to the damageroll. If an attack is split up so that itaffects several creatures individually,such as a magic missile spell, the bonus orpenalty is applied to the damage eachcreature receives. Attacks that inflict nodamage aren’t subject to the damagebonus or penalty. Damage that resultsindirectly from an attack is not subject tothe bonus or penalty. For example, ifsomeone pushes a creature off a cliff orinto a tire, the resulting falI or burn dam-age is not affected. The attack was thepush, which inflicted no damage.

The 8th-level wizard spell spellengine from the F ORGOTTEN REALMS set-ting absorbs spell energy from any spellor spell-like effects cast in its area. Thespell description says symbols, glyphs,and abjuration spells already operatingin the engine’s area when it activatesare not neutralized. This implies thatother spells in the area are. For instance,a wall of force (an evocation spell),would be negated if a spell engine acti-vates in its area. Is that correct?

Yes, that’s correct. Note that a spell is“already operating” if it is cast outside thespell engine’s area of effect and thenbrought into the area. For example, an

90 MAY 1996

antimagic shell created outside the spellengine’s area and then moved so that itsradius overlaps the spell engine’s area isnot neutralized. Instead it temporarilynegates the spell engine’s effects withinthe area of overlap. If the antimagic shell’sarea of effect overlaps the spell engine’sarea at the time of casting, however, theantimagic shell is negated; the spell engineprevents the shelI from forming. Notethat only symbols, glyphs, and abjura-tion spells have this property. Othermobile spells end when brought within aspell engine’s area. Note also that a dispeltrue dweomer (from the High-LevelCampaigns book) can destroy a spellengine.

What sort of limits apply to the con-tingency spell? Does contingency acti-vate another spell only once? Or does acontingency activate a spell an unlim-ited number of times while the contin-gency duration (one day per casterlevel) lasts? If the latter is true, onemight cast contingency and designatean armor spell as the contingent effectwith the trigger being “whenever thearmor spell currently protecting meruns out.” The contingency caster wouldget continuous armor protection formany days, right? What kind of triggerscan the contingency caster specify?Can he bring a contingent spell intobeing just by snapping his fingers? Also,does the caster’s situation have anyeffect on a contingent spell? For exam-ple, if the caster is bound and gaggedwhen the trigger occurs, does the con-tingent effect still occur?

The contingency spell must be castsimultaneously with one other spell. Thecompanion spell is essentially precastand takes effect only when the contin-gency triggers it. Once the companionspell is triggered, the whole spell com-plex ends. The caster cannot load multi-ple spells into the contingency nor can headd new spells once the original spellhas been triggered. If the caster wants toduplicate a particular effect, he mustcast the contingency and the companionspell all over again (but note that a char-acter can have only one contingencyoperating at a time). The contingencyspell’s duration really should read “oneday per caster level or until triggered.”

The condition that triggers the contin-gency can be just about anything thecaster can imagine, but it has to be fairlysimple. Generally, it must be a singleevent or condition, not a series of things.When the DM decides a contingency

might fail, he is free to decide how likelythe failure will be. It could be automatic,or there could be a saving throw, abilitycheck, or other die roll involved—what-ever the DM thinks is reasonable.

Because the companion spell is castalong with the contingency spell, thecaster’s state of being when the contin-gency is triggered doesn’t matter, thecaster can be bound, gagged, uncon-scious, or even dead when the spelltakes effect.

What is the duration, and area ofeffect of the 4th-level priest spell callwoodland beings? Is it okay to use theduration and area of effect from thewizard monster summoning spells?

Don’t use the statistics for any of themonster summoning spells — call wood-land beings works in a different way.

Unlike the monster summoning spells,call woodland beings only summons crea-tures that are within the spell’s range.Also unlike the monster summoningspells, the summoned creature (or crea-tures) doesn’t appear in some locationthe caster designates — it travels to thecaster’s location, which can take quitesome time. Call woodland beings has nodefinite duration. The creature remainsjust long enough to render the castersome service, then it departs. Note thatthe creature might depart immediately ifthe caster asks it to fight (see spelldescription, Player’s Handbook, Appendix4, page 274). In any case, the creaturecalled leaves the caster under its ownpower; it doesn’t vanish when the spellends or when killed as a summonedmonster does.

In the PLAYER’S OPTION™ combat sys-tem (from the Combat & Tactics book) isfailing to turn to meet an enemyattacking from behind the same asturning your back on that enemy? Let’ssay a character is engaged in fighting acouple of bugbears, and another bug-bear comes up from behind andattacks. Does that bugbear get anattack of opportunity if the characterdoesn’t turn around? Would the bug-bear get another attack of opportunitythe next round if the character stilldoesn’t turn around?

No, failing to turn and meet an oppo-nent is not the same as deliberatelyturning one’s back on an opponent.Creatures are assumed to make somekinds of defensive maneuvers — evenagainst opponents attacking frombehind — unless they’re completely help-

less. Note, however, that many actionsprovoke attacks of opportunity. Firing amissile, for example, provokes an attackof opportunity, even when the oppo-nent is standing behind the character fir-ing the missile.

In the Combat & Tactics rules, howmany attacks of opportunity would acharacter armed with a long weapon,such as bardiche, which has a meleereach of two, receive if he has chosenthe guard action and someone chargeshim from the front?

None. The guarding character wouldget his normal melee attack themoment the charging opponent camewithin reach, but wouldn’t get an attackof opportunity unless the opponent didsomething to provoke it, such as turningits back on the bardiche wielder or leav-ing the area the bardiche wielder threat-ens. Just moving around within an areaan opponent threatens does not pro-voke attacks of opportunity.

What’s the difference betweenoffensive and defensive disarms in theCombat & Tactics rules? Why wouldanyone choose an offensive disarmwhen defensive disarms work just aswell?

The difference lies in when the dis-arming attempt is resolved. Offensivedisarms are resolved during one of thedisarming character’s own attack phas-es. Defensive disarms are resolvedwhen the disarming character’s oppo-nent attacks. Offensive disarms havetwo potential advantages. First, if thecharacter attempting to disarm is enti-tled to multiple attacks during a round,he can automatically cover a disarmedopponent with the remaining attacks,which should allow him the first strike ifhis disarmed opponent doesn’t surren-der. Second, if the character gains thefirst action during the round and suc-ceeds with an offensive disarm, theopponent will be weaponless when histurn comes to attack. Even if the charac-ter who made the disarm doesn’t haveanother attack he can use to cover thedisarmed opponent, he might get anattack of opportunity when the oppo-nent tries to retrieve his droppedweapon.

Skip Williams is a game designer andeditor at TSR, Inc. Questions can beaddressed to him at tsrsage@aol.com.

DRAGON #229 91

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Franklin Pierce College,Rindge. Guests: George Takei,Ben Nunn, Jeff Menges, and

Australian conventionCanadian conventionEuropean convention

* indicates a product produced by a com-pany other than TSR, Inc. Most productnames are trademarks owned by the com-panies publishing those products. The useof the name of any product without men-tion of its trademark status should not beconstrued as a challenge to such status.

Edward Beard Jr. Events: role-playing, card, board, andminiatures games. Brian Hess,60 Clooege Road, Rindge, NH03461.

At-Last-a-Con 2May 4-5 MO

Knights of Columbus Hall,Ferguson. Events: role-play-ing, card, board, and minia-tures games. Other activities:a raffle and a painting con-test. Registration: $6 preregis-tered, $10 on site. SAGA, P.O.Box 297, St. Ann, MO 63074.

Roc of AgesMay 10-12 NC

Sheradon Airport Plaza,Charlotte. Guests: JamesDoohan, Cunnar Hansen,Barbara Leigh, Doug Bradley,and Allan Handelman. Events:role-playing, card, board, andminiatures games. Otheractivities: tournaments, anauction, films, and an artshow. Registration: $15 pre-registered, $25 on site. Writeto: GOTH, 105 HoneywoodCt., Kissimmee, FL 34743

Fantasy Fair 6May 12

Cresset Exhibition Centre,Peterborough, Cambridge-shire. Events: role-playing,card, board, and miniaturesgames. Other activities: deal-ers and films. Bruce King, 1The Hallerds, Eaton Socon, St.

Neots, Cambridgeshire, PE193QW, U.K.

SagaMay 17-20

Mama’s Two in Sussex,New Brunswick. Events: role-playing, card, board, andminiatures games. Saga, P.O.Box 695, Sussex, NB, CanadaEOE 1PO.

Eclipse ’96May 24-26 MO

Holiday Inn ConventionCenter in Columbia. Guests:Tom Dowd, Tony Diterlizzi,Zeb Cook, and Lester Smith.Events: role-playing, card,board, and miniatures games.Other activities: tournaments,dealers, anime, and a murdermystery. Registration: $18preregistered, $20 on site.Eclipse ’96, 27 N. 10th St.,Columbia, MO 65201.

SciFi Dreamin’May 24-26 PA

Lycoming College Campus,Williamsport. Guests: MichaelO’Hare, Tom Woodruff, Dr.Richard Erikson, Louise Kleba,and lnge Heyer. SciFiDreamin’, 1738 E. Third St.#197, Williamsport, PA 17701,or visit the web site at: http://www.hway.net/dreamin.

GamexMay 24-27 CA

LA Airport Wyndham

Important:DRAGON® Magazine does not publish phone numbers for conventions. Be cer-tain that any address you send us is complete and correct.

To ensure that your convention listing makes it into our files, enclose a self-addressed stamped postcard with your first convention notice; we will return thecard to show that it was received. You also might send a second notice one weekafter mailing the first. Mail your listing as early as possible, and always keep usinformed of any changes. Please do not send convention notices by fax, as thismethod has not proven reliable.

DRAGON #229 93

Hotel, Los Angeles. Events:role-playing, card, board, andminiatures games. Otheractivities: a flea market, anauction, and dealers. Registra-tion: $25 preregistered, $30on site. Write to: Strategicon,333 N. San Fernando Blvd.,Burbank, CA 91502.

3 Rivers Game FestMay 24-27 PA

Pittsburgh Greentree Mar-riott Hotel, Pittsburgh. Guests:Peter Bromley, Dave Frank,and John Bohrer. Events: role-playing, card, board, andminiatures games. Otheractivities: tournaments. Regis-tration: $19.95 preregistered.Andon Unlimited, ThreeRivers Game Fest, P.O. Box1740, Renton, WA 98057

Twin Con ’96May 25-27 MN

Thunderbird Hotel &Convention Center, Bloom-ington. Events: role-playing,card, board, and miniaturesgames. Other activities:RPGA® Network events, deal-ers, and demos. Write to: JeffHammerlund, 107 WestChicago St., Algonquin, IL60102.

June ConventionsMagnum Opus Con/WarJune 13-16 GA

Radisson Hotel, Atlanta.Special guests: Vernon Wells,Charlie Dierkop, and RobertZubrin. Events: role-playing,card, board, and miniaturesgames. Other activities: tour-naments and computergames. MOC-11, P.O. Box6585, Athens, GA 30604, ore-mail: moc@ix.netcom.com.

FutureConventions

ATSea ’97*CruiseApril 5-12

ATSea sails from NewOr leans on the Com-modore Cruise Line andstops on Playa del Carmen, Cozumel, Grand Cayman,and Montego Bay. Events:role-playing, card, board,and miniatures games.Other activities: tourna-ments, guest speakers, seminars, a costume party,an auction, and more.Package prices vary. Adeposit of $250 is due by11/1/96. There is a 20%discount off the depositamount if it is receivedbefore 7/1/96. ContactG.O.A.T. (Gamers of AustinTexas), P.O. Box 3116,Austin, TX 78764.

Con GamesJune 15-16 FL

Camberly Inn Hotel,Tampa. Events: role-playing,card, board, and miniaturesgames. Other activities: deal-ers, a charity raffle, and tour-naments. Registration: $10/day, $18/weekend. ConGames, 2 Water Track Radial,Ocala, FL 34472 or e-mail:necconrep@aol.com.

Con GamesJune 15-16 FL

Camberly Inn, Tampa.Events: role-playing, card,board, and miniatures games.Registration: $5. Necro-nomicon Inc., P.O. Box 2076,Riverview, FL 33569.

Dragon Con 1996June 20-23 GA

Atlanta Hilton and Towers,Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel,and the Atlanta Civic Centerin Atlanta. Guests: Kevin J.Anderson, William Gibson,James O’Barr, R.A. Salvatore,Larry Elmore, and BruceSterling. Events: role-playing,card, board, and miniaturesgames. Other activities: deal-ers, films, anime, tournaments,and workshops. Registration:$50 preregistered. DragonCon, P.O. Box 47696, Atlanta,GA 30362, or e-mail: drag-oncon@dragoncon.org, orcheck out the web site:http: / /www.dscga.com\~dragoncon.

ManaFestJune 21-23 CA

Cathedral Hill Hotel, SanFrancisco. Events: over 25 dif-ferent Magic: the Gathering*tournaments and other trad-ing card tournaments. Regis-tration: $20 preregistered,$30 thereafter. ManaFest,Khalsa Brain Games, P.O. Box170436, San Francisco, CA94117, or visit the web site:h t t p : / / w w w . i b a r . c o m /manafest.

ATCon IIJune 27-30 TX

Ramada Inn, Austin.Events: role-playing, card,board, and miniatures games.Other activities: RPGA tourna-ments, an auction, and a cos-tume contest. Registration:$25 on site. G.O.A.T., P.O. Box3116, Austin, TX, 78764.

Michicon ’96June 28-30 MI

Van Dyke Park Hotel andConference Center, Warren.Events: role-playing, card,board, and miniatures games.

Other activities: dealers andan auction. Registration: $18preregistered, $20 on site.Metro Detroit Gamers, P.O.Box 656, Wyandotte, Ml48192 or e-mail: dolphin2@oeonline.com.

PolyCon XIVJune 28-30 CA

California Polytechnic, SanLuis Obispo. Events: role-play-ing, card, board, and minia-tures games. Other activities:tournaments Registration:$25 on-site. PolyCon Com-mittee, University Union Box168, Cal Poly State University,San Luis Obispo, CA 93407,or e-mail: polycon@polycon.punk.net.

July ConventionsOriginsJuly 4-7 OH

Greater Columbus Conven-tion Center, Columbus. Specialguests: Phil Foglio, DougNiles, Jeff Grubb, and KateNovak. Events: role-playing,card, board, and miniaturesgames. Other activities: tour-naments, the Magic: theGathering* national champi-onship, and an auction.Registration: $34.95 preregis-tered. Andon Unlimited, P.O.Box 1740, Renton, WA98507, or e-mail: Andon@aol.com.

GamefestJuly 6 IL

Holy Innocents Church,Chicago. Events: role-playing,card, board, and miniaturesgames. Other activities: tour-naments. Registration: $5.John Kavain, 857 NorthHermitage, Chicago, IL60622.

HexaconJuly 12-14 AZ

Arizona State UniversityMemorial Union, Tempe.Events: role-playing, card,board, and miniatures games.Other activities: dealers, tour-naments, an auction, a minia-tures painting contest, and acomputer room. Registration:$15 preregistered before

7/1/96, $20 on site. Hexacon6, P.O. Box 62613, Phoenix,AZ 85082.

Dark Con IIIJuly 19-21 OK

Central Plaza Hotel,Oklahoma City. Events: role-playing, card, board, andminiatures games. Otheractivities: tournaments, com-puter gaming, and RPGANetwork events. DarkmoreInc., 624 SW 24th, Moore, OK73160.

Quincon XlJuly 19-21 IL

The Signature Room in theFranklin Square, Quincy.Events: role-playing, card,board, and miniatures games.Other activities: RPGA events,demos, and an auction.Registration: $15/weekend,$5/day. Quincon XI, P.O. Box3892, Quincy, IL 62305.

* indicates a product produced bya company other than TSR, Inc.

Having a convention?Send us yourinformation!

94 M A Y 1996

y and large, the RPGA® Networksupports more conventions thanany other organization in the

world. Last year the Network sent tour-naments to over 200 conventions. Weestimate that over 100,000 game fansattended those events.

Why do so many people go? Whathappens at a convention?

Many have asked the same ques-tions. As a decorated veteran of 171conventions, let me tell you how I foundthe answers.

I was a game addict. (Things haven’tchanged much.) At one point in mygaming career, I decided I wanted tomeet some of the people responsible forthe creation of the games and novels towhich I was hooked. I also thought itmight be fun to play with someone out-

The RPGA® Network is theworld‘s largest game club, with over9,500 members around the world.Network members often meet throughgaming activities at conventions, andthrough forming their own clubs eitherin their communities or on-line.

Network members receive thePOLYHEDRON® Newszine monthly; thenewszine helps keep membersinformed, with articles both frommembers and from well-known indus-try authors. In addition, the Networksanctions member-written tourna-ments at local conventions and gameshops, tournaments in Call ofCthulhu*, Shadowrun*, Star Wars*, theAD&D® game, and many other popu-lar game systems.

For more information about any ofthe Networks programs, write to:RPGA Network, 201 Sheridan SpringsRd., Lake Geneva, WI 53147, or e-mailrpgahq@aol.com.*indicates a product produced by a companyother than TSR, Inc.

by Scott Douglas

side of my regular group, so I startedlooking in DRAGON® Magazine’s conven-tion announcements section for a localconvention. I found one 90 miles away.It turned out to be science-fiction-relat-ed, with just a few games to play. I droveaway more than a little disappointed.

But I was persistent; the next conve-tion turned out to be a great event, withall sorts of games and lots of willingDMs. There were gorgeous miniaturesevents, rare and complex board games,and many role-playing games to choosefrom. There were seminars on game sys-tems, scenario creation, and game mas-tering. There was an art show, and anauction with actual art (no prints). Therewas a con suite—commonly called ahospitality suite—where the soft drinksflowed like rivers, and the nachos neverran low, all for the price of conventionadmission. It was a great find.

In addition, I made another wonder-ful discovery: the dealer’s room. Thedealer’s room is a sort of gamer’s fleamarket; lots of new merchandise isavailable, but the best deals are in thescratch-and-dent/used category. Butwhat I like best about a dealer’s room isthe range of unusual items some mer-chants bring to sell: juggling balls, chainmail shirts, sword replicas, nifty jewelry,and cool pewter fantasy sculptures. Thisis not stuff you can find at the localgame store.

Despite my first experience, I havehad more fun and made more friends atconventions than I could ever hope torelate. I never regretted that first con-vention, however, as it taught me a lotabout the convention experience.

In order to make first-time conven-tion attendees more familiar with theprocess, I present but a few of my 297Rules of Convention Attendance. This Ioffer as advice to be followed when oneis considering attending or actuallyattending a gaming convention:

Before the ConventionRule #26: Choose wisely. Announce-

ments appear in many gaming publica-tions. Learn the focus of the convention.Knowing exactly what you’re getting intohelps you enjoy the weekend. If youhave any questions, write the contact.

Rule #49: Start small; think big. It’sgreat to find a con in your home town,but avoid driving more than a couple ofhours to your first con. The more timeyou spend actually attending the con-vention the better.

At the Convention:Rule #63: Be comfortable. Convention

sites vary. Some conventions are spreadout over a wide area, others are com-pact. Some game rooms are drafty; oth-ers are saunas. Be prepared with com-fortable clothes and shoes.

Rule #64: Don’t overprepare. A knap-sack of basic rulebooks, dice, pencils,and paper generally will suffice. One ofthe marks of a novice con attendee areseveral milk crates full of game material.

Rule #134: Take breaks. The 24-hourgamers get a glassy-eyed stare thatlingers after the convention. They usual-ly enjoy the con on Friday but becomemore dissatisfied as the weekend pro-gresses, and body functions diminish.

Rule #228: Try something new. You canplay your favorite game at home. Pro-vide yourself the opportunity to trysomething you’ve been curious about.Visit all the convention areas, and takethe time to game with new people.

Rule #297: Enjoy yourself. You haveinvested some money and a weekend.You deserve to reap the reward — fun.Come to the convention not to win, butto have a good time. Folks who play forenjoyment tend to win more often, any-way.

Scott Douglas, the RPGA NetworkCoordinator, juggles in his office when hethinks no one is looking.

DRAGON #229 95

Forum welcomes your comments andopinions on role-playing games.

In the United States and Canada, sendany correspondence to Forum, DRAGON®Magazine, 201 Sheridan Springs Road,Lake Geneva, WI 53147 U.S.A. In Europe,send mail to Forum, DRAGON Magazine,TSR Ltd., 120 Church End, Cherry Hinton,Cambridge CB1 3LB, U.K. You can also sende-mail to tsrmags@aol.com.

We ask that all material be neatly typedor handwritten. You must give us your fullname and mailing address if you expectyour letter to be printed (we will not considera letter sent anonymously), but we will with-hold your name if you ask us to do so, andwe will not print your full address unless yourequest it.

was inspired to write by ChristopherMyers’ letter on dual classes in Forumin issue #225. What he says rings true

and raises a similar complaint aboutmulti-classing and level limits. Onlydemi-humans suffer from level limits.They are supposed to be there to bal-ance the advantages they get. Thiswould have an effect if they get to thatstage, but most campaigns won’t lastthat long. If they do, it doesn’t helpmuch. Which player is going to enjoyseeing his character stop dead whilehumans continue to advance? Until thathappens, the demi-human has all thebonuses of his race with no penalty.

Another thing. Why do humans haveto dual class, while demi-humans canmulti-class? Mr. Myers has shown theshakiness of the dual-class rules. Thebest thing would be simply to get rid ofthem. I don’t see what overwhelmingdifference there is about demi-humansthat lets only them do two differentthings from the word go.

My solution is quite simple: lethumans multi-class if they wish, andabolish demi-humans’ level limits. Demi-

humans’ advantages will be roughlycanceled out by humans being able tomulti-class. If DMs feel they have tocompensate human characters, givethem each a magical item or an addi-tional point in a stat.

Andrew PearceEssex, England

For the past couple of issues, a lot ofthe letters in the Forum have beenabout a lack of female gamers. I thinkthen, that my groups are a minority.

Everyone I play with is female. In fact,I only know one male gamer, and heand I never really played together. Itisn’t that I don’t welcome men. To behonest, I would love it if some of themshowed up on my doorstep one day andasked to play.

Just thought I’d present the oppositeend of the spectrum to you.

Oh, by the way, does any one haveany adventure ideas for young gamers(seven and ten years of age)? They’remy little sisters, and they were buggingme for the past couple of years to letthem play. I was going to wait until theywere a little older and more mature, butI finally gave in around Christmas.

They’ve been having fun so far, butyou can only rescue so many babywhats-its from evil wizards before it getskind of boring. (That’s not the only thingwe’ve done, but rescuing babies seem tobe their favorite adventure plot.) I wouldreally appreciate adventure ideas.

The 7-year-old plays a water mage,and the lo-year-old is a sorceress ofsand and flame in the AL-QADIM® setting.Thanks much.

Jessica Bealsvia e-mail

I wished to respond to several lettersin the February issue (#227) of DRAGON

Magazine,First, in regards to Tim Nutting’s prob-

lem with overzealous “rules lawyers,”sometimes you must decide whetheryou wish to allow the player to continueto dominate your game. You mentionthat the other gamers in the group arecomplaining about his actions and youalso mention that you do not wish tohear about ostracizing the individual ashe is a friend. My question is, do youplace your “friendship,” which seemsnon-existent, above the enjoyment ofyour other players? Sometimes an ulti-matum must be handed down, or youwill lose the other players. He must learnthat you run the world and the game,

not him. My only other suggestion isthat you let him run a game of his ownchoosing to allow him to use the rulesas he desires. Of course, everyone canchoose whether to play with him or not.

Second, yet another comment aboutwomen in role-playing games. I agreewith Eleanor Clarke to a certain degree.I commend her for her rationalapproach to the problem. However, Iwould suggest entering all games withthe assumption that one will encountera sexist attitude. It is far too prevalent anoccurrence ever to assume that the atti-tude isn’t there. This comment may beseen as extremely cynical, but I havenever been in a game where at leastone player/character wasn’t looking to“chat up the female players/characters”or worse. It is unfortunate, but it’s true.I’m not encouraging women to be para-noid, just to know what they are gettinginto so that they may stop such conductearly. And as an aside to WilliamValentine, who commented, “It’s just usmales getting together once a week totalk, brag, and joke with the freedom ofnot having to watch what we say, orworrying about who may hear us.” Ihave no problem with the guys goingout; my husband has interests that I donot share. What do you say during thesegatherings that you don’t want others tohear?

Andrea McCormickHarrisburg, PA

I am writing in response to CeordieKeefe’s letter in issue #224. As a DM, I,too, have been faced with the challengeof how to handle introducing new play-ers to a long-running game. No solutionis simple, and the judgment of the DMcomes into play. Here is what I do:

Brand new and inexperienced play-ers, especially a group of them, are eas-iest to handle. I just start a new gamewith them. All PCs are 1st level. Thisgives them experience in the game andthe full enjoyment of developing theircharacters. Trying to introduce theseplayers to medium- or high-level gamestends to scare them away from gaming.Better to take the time with them andteach them the ropes.

Handling experienced players new toa campaign is a bit trickier. First, I famil-iarize them with the house rules, so theyknow what to expect. If they have noPC, I work with them to create a charac-ter. That PC is started two levels lowerthan the lowest level PC of the sameclass in the game. No magical items or

DRAGON #229 9 7

powers are given, and it is up to theplayer to develop the character fromthen on. If they already have a charac-ter, I first discuss the PC’s goals andmotives with the player. If necessary, wemake any changes, including strippingof items as appropriate to make themconform to house rules. I do not stripcapriciously or indiscriminately; I givemy players a rationale for any changes.This gives them an immediate goal, foranything I strip I explain to be “mis-placed: on the world — somewhere —during their “transition.” It also givesthem a basic reason to play my game.

Geordie, your treatment by this DMis, in my opinion, appalling, and itangers me. DMs have the responsibilityto provide an entertaining game fortheir players, and they should provideopportunity fairly for all players to con-tribute to the game. They should listento the players. They must be flexible.They should provide an environment inwhich players feel welcome. A DM whodoes not even do just this is abusing thekey element that makes the game work:the players themselves

My advice is two-fold: First, find agame where the DM and players acceptyou as a gamer, not a sideshow attrac-tion. Second, have your DM friend readthis letter. It might give him pause tothink about his treatment of new players.

Remember that games are supposedto be fun, and this is a game. If your DMfriend ignores or refuses to realize thathis treatment of new players is unac-ceptable, he will lose not only new play-ers (he lost you!), but veteran players aswell. He would end up alone.

Anton J. UselmannP.O. Box 492

Gold Beach, OR 97444

I am writing in response to the lettersof Linda Edwards and Geordie Keefe inissue #224.

Miss Edward wrote about not beingallowed to role-play because of anextremely high-level drow and being agirl. Your latter problem shouldn’t be anissue; I’d just find another party. As tothe former, I also have a mega-charac-ter, a hero-status priest. One solutionI’ve worked out with my new DM is toplay him like a low- to mid-level charac-ter (as appropriate to the campaign) andonly use spells like heal/harm as a sur-prise for the other less powerful playerswhen the entire party is in mortal dan-ger. You could also just take some levelsoff the character and drop the more

powerful magical items. By the way, a50th-level character probably should beretired.

Mr. Keefe had the opposite problem,which I’ve seen numerous times in myfive years of role-playing. Starting newcharacters in a developed campaign canbe a problem, but if your DM invited youto play, then he should start you on apar with the other characters at least asfar as “net power” goes. This net powercould be anything — political, financial,and magical — to make you even withthe others.

Dustin BatsonMadrid, Spain

This is in response to Paul Fraser’sarticle, “The Magic Goes Away” (issue#226).

Magic is the basis of most things infantasy role-playing. Of course yourcampaign is going to be balanced ifyour whole world is full of 0-level peo-ple, fighters, and thieves, but its alsogoing to be dull. Magic is what makesthe AD&D® game fun. It’s also why youcan’t make an exact re-creation ofmedieval Europe: there was no magicthere. How many people would play ifyour characters couldn’t be a wizard ora priest or your fighter couldn’t have hisplate mail +1 or his sword of sharpness?

The writers of the Player’s Handbookcertainly thought magic was importantif they dedicated half the book to spelldescriptions. Add that to all the otherspells in the books and magazines.

In the unlikely event that mages dounbalance your game, make a monsterthat is totally immune to magic and let itloose.

Without magic, how do you explainthe planes, or the gods themselves? Ithink Mr. Fraser was just trying to get outof a lot of the responsibility that goesalong with DMing. If you like hispremise, more power to you. Just don’tinvite me to your gaming session.

Nick Spear7421 Windsor Woods, Apt. 2A

Canton, Ml 48487

I have played AD&D for over 18years now. After reading “Forum” inissue #223, a letter from Karrie Huffcaught my interest.

Sorry, I’m not of the female gender.Still, I thought Karrie and other femalegamers might take interest in my com-ments. I’d like to address certain pointsabout male-dominated role-playing.

In my campaign, now 12 years along,

I’ve always found female characters tobe as important to the storyline asmales, for the basic fact that in everyculture, human interaction is a main-frame upon which everything elserevolves. I understand your disappoint-ment with most games you’ve played,with the treatment of females as sec-ond-class people or even just “back-ground” extras.

Some of the strongest and mostrespected personas in my game worldsare women.

Overall, neither male nor femalegamers have the edge. A gender mix atany gaming table enhances the role-playing aspect. Still, a skilled DM and anactive game group should be able toaccommodate any player mix. An abilityto do so attests to group integrity, cohe-sive functioning, and positive play. Toalienate others or make them uncom-fortable with innuendo that obviouslytranscends good manners simplydefeats the purpose.

Each game session, particularly thoseof new or mixed groups, provides chal-lenges above and beyond the gameitself, in that getting this awkward groupto function with teamwork creates funfor everyone.

Problems in a game group shouldnot reflect societal problems: fantasy isescapism, not a psycho-social therapysession.

Nathan KirschenbaumPomona, CA

I must disagree with James Mieritz’scriticism (in “D-Mail,” issue #226) ofJeffrey Allen Paul’s article “The CastleDesigner’s Guide to Coping With Magicand the Supernatural” in issue #224.

It has always struck me that, in fan-tasy, we have never really managed toinstill in the castle the same level ofimpregnability and awe that it achievedin Europe during the Middle Ages. Wespend days creating fiendish dungeons,traps, and monsters for PCs to face, butthen just stick in a basic castle for themto use and abuse. Jeffrey Paul’s articleprovides a perfect redress for this.

I think that James Mieritz mistakesthe historical use of castles. Castle wallsexist because they are the primarydefense once diplomacy fails. His argu-ments about sending soldiers out wouldbe valid only in very exceptional caseswhere a walled city needed time tobring in crops or there was favorable

Continued on page 116

98 MAY 1996

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100 MAY 1996

DRAGON #229 101

102 MAY 1996

MAY 1996

DRAGON #229 105

106 MAY 1996

Arrive without traveling:tour the multiverse with thesefantasy sourcebooks

Role-playing games’ rating

Not recommended

May be useful

FairGood

ExcellentThe BEST!

I hate to travel. An agoraphobic andproud of it, I never leave the house with-out kicking and screaming, and I go onvacations only at gun point. The way Isee it, why hassle with flight schedulesand hotel reservations when a role-play-ing game can take you anywhere youwant to go? Sure, an airplane can getyou to Monte Carlo. But it can’t get youto Middle-earth.

The ShireMiddle-Earth Role-Playing* game sup-

plement280-page softcover book, one dou-

ble-sided 16” x 21” map sheetIron Crown Enterprises $30Design: Wesley Frank

Development: Jessica Ney-GrimmEditing: Suzanne Young and JessicaNey-Grimm

Illustrations: Liz Danforth, GlenMichael Angus, Eric David Anderson,Storn Cook, Edward Johnson, Eric

Knowles, April Lee, Stephan Peregrine,and Ellisa Mitchell

Cover: Liz Danforth

AngmarMiddle-Earth Role-Playing* game sup-plement

160-page softcover book, one dou-ble-sided 16” x 21” map sheet

Iron Crown Enterprises $25Design: Graham Staplehurst and Heike

Kubasch, with Jessica Ney and PeterFenlon

Development: Jessica Ney and PeterFenlon

Editing: Suzanne Young, Jessica Ney,and Peter Fenlon

Illustrations: Glen Michael Angus, RickBritton, Liz Danforth, James A. Fallin,Pete Fenlon, and Arnie Swekel

Cover: Angus McBride

108 MAY 1996

Iron Crown has spent more than adecade mining gold from J.R.R. Tolkien’sLord of the Rings trilogy. They’ve crankedout board games, poster maps, minia-ture figures, everything but Hobbit-flavored ice cream. Ironically, Middle-Earth Role-Playing (MERP), the center-piece of the Iron Crown line, is one oftheir more troubling efforts. ThoughMERP boasts a solid system, it neverquite nails the fairy tale ambiance of thenovels and tends to emphasize thewrong elements. Combat and magic, forexample, play much larger roles in thegame than in the books. Still, despite myreservations about MERP, I’m crazyabout the sourcebooks, noteworthy fortheir stunning attention to detail. WhenTolkien fans die and go to heaven, they’lllikely find themselves in a library stuffedwith MERP books. The Shire andAngmar, two volumes in the “Realms ofMiddle-earth” series documenting spe-cific locales in the Tolkien universe,typify what Iron Crown does best.

The Shire, the lighter of the two, fea-tures the land of the Hobbits. Angmar,the darker one, describes the eerierealm of the Witch-king. The books fol-low the same format, more or less, withlong chapters devoted to culture, his-tory, politics, personalities, and land-marks. Tolkien aficionados will probablyfeel more at home with The Shire,arguably the most memorable locale inthe novels. Designer Wesley Frank pro-vides vivid depictions of Hobbiton,Sackville, and other Hobbit hideaways,along with in-depth profiles of BilboBaggins, Samwise Gamgee, and Gandalfthe Grey. The brainy treatise on Hobbitmagic includes a generous list of magi-cal items unique to Middle-earth, suchas the vantage stick and Lestine’s pipeof creature comforts. A five-page time-line brings newcomers up to date, achapter-long glossary explains the dif-ference between “mathom” (a gift withsentimental value but no practical use)and “muck” (sheep droppings). Angmarcovers less-familiar territory, requiringthe designers to fill in a lot of blanks;while casual players won’t find that aproblem, Middle-earth scholars mighttake issue with some of the secondguesses. Though not as character-focused as The Shire — and hence a bitdrier � Angmar impresses with its analy-sis of military affairs (Agmaran fortifica-tions, siege equipment, and chains ofcommand) and imaginative essays (herblore, orcish nomenclature, and castledesign).

Both books are well-organized andtightly edited, and contain a surplus ofinformative, clutter-free maps. Neitherhas an index, however, reducing theirvalue as references; if you want to findBilbo’s biography, you’ll have to recruit asearch party. The writing is generallystrong, more so in Angmar. The Shire,though comprehensible, is stilted inspots (“Hobbits possess a subtlerpanache than most legendary beings”),as if Frank were trying too hard toimpress his English teacher.

But it’s the content that’s importanthere, not the execution. Frank so skill-fully evokes the pastoral landscapes ofthe Shire that you can almost smell thedaisies. He takes us on a whirlwind tourof Bywater, the Bridge of Stonebows,and Hardbottle, spinning enchantingtales of the fairy spirits of BrockenBorings and how the Hobbit Bandobrasinvented the game of golf. He gives us ataste of the Hobbits’ pastries (made withmaple drippings and fresh plums) andopens their dresser drawers (proper gen-tlehobbits prefer linen bedding to straw).If Bilbo fractures his leg, he can mendthe bone with an arfandas flower poul-tice; if he burns his lip on a hot pastry,

Seekingfearless writers

Do you have a good idea foran article? We’d like to see it.Remember to send a business-sized SASE for our writer’sguidelines, and be sure to sendus a query letter before youwrite the article. That way wecan tell you if your idea is rightfor DRAGON® Magazine beforeyou write it.

he can ease the pain by nibbling on aklaven berry.

Angmar is an equally riveting place.Designers Graham Staplehurst andHeike Kubasch conjure a world of bar-ren plains, gray skies, and random

DRAGON #229 109

death. Here, a description of the slave-city of Litash: “The remains of some [ofthe slaves] could still be seen, skeletonswrapped in wind-dried skin like parch-ment, nailed with barbed spikes to theclay walls of their dwellings.” Trolls infestthe hills, dwelling in garbage-strewn lairsriddled with lice and fleas. Minions ofthe Witch-king protect their fortresseswith pit traps coated with jegga, a pastyblack poison made from bat venom.

If the books share a flaw, it’s thatthey tend to emphasize the whimsical abit too much. The blissfully serene Shireseems more like a place you’d go for avacation than a place you’d go for afight. Angmar oozes gloom but doesn’tseem particularly menacing. Angmarbad guys spend too much time fortifyingtheir strongholds and not enough stir-ring up trouble. The trolls don’t seem tobe up to much other than wallowing ingarbage. We’re told of a mighty dragoncalled the Worm, “greedy, devious, andselfish.” Sounds promising. But whatkind of greedy, devious, and selfish stuffdoes the Worm do?

A more troubling drawback forAngmar is the absence of adventurehooks. That’s a drawback hard to over-

look considering the formidable task fac-ing a referee attempting to put togethercampaign from all these bits and pieces.(Let’s see... I’ll use the Cult of the DarkLord from Chapter Five, add theStorugoruz Orc-hold from Chapter Eight,and maybe throw in a few trolls fromChapter Three.) By comparison, The Shireserves up 30 pages of adventures;though none are earth-shattering,they’re complete, they’re playable, and —best of all — they’re there.

Evaluation: The Shire and Angmarare first-rate sourcebooks, meticulouslyresearched and staggeringly complete.Iron Crown did just about everythingright, even sequestering most of the sta-tistics in the appendices to make thebooks accessible to those who’ve neverheard of MERP. If I could have only oneof the two, I’d take The Shire; Angmarloses a pip for skimping on adventureideas. Still, both volumes are worth alook from anyone drawn to the con-cepts in Lord of the Rings. And if you’re afan of the AD&D® game — which, likejust about every fantasy game that’sever wriggled its way out of a wordprocessor, owes a heavy debt toProfessor Tolkien — that means you.

DRAGON #229 111

RIFTS JapanRIFTS* game supplement

216-page softcover bookPalladium Books $20Design: Kevin Siembieda with Patrick

Nowak and C.J. CarellaEditing: Alex Marciniszyn with James

A. Osten, Kevin Kirsten, and JuliusRosenstein

Illustrations: Vince Martin, WayneBreaux, Randy Post, and Kevin Siem-bieda

Cover: John Zeleznik

RIFTS South America: 2RIFTS* game supplement

192-page softcover bookPalladium Books $20Design: Carlos J. Martijena-Carella

with Kevin SiembiedaEditing: Kevin Siembieda with Alex

Marciniszyn, James A. Osten, KevinKirsten, and Julius Rosenstein

Illustrations: Vince Martin, WayneBreaux, R.K. Post, and Kevin Siembieda

Cover: Kevin Long

I live in Des Moines, Iowa. If I werewriting about it, I’d tell you about theinsurance companies, the skywalks, andthe minor league baseball team. WhenPalladium gets around to publishingRIFTS Des Moines, they’ll probably tellyou about the death bomb factories, thevampire militia, and the corpse recyclingcenters. If you’ve read any of the previ-ous RIFTS world books, such as RlFTSAfrica or RIFTS England, you know thatPalladium, to put it mildly, takes a some-what eccentric approach to geography.

Japan and South America: 2 continuethe tradition. Of the pair, Japan is themore conventional — conventional, thatis, in the sense that Elvis sightings aremore conventional than UFO abduc-tions. Japan imagines a futuristic societywhere warmongering scientists are atodds with spirit-worshipping mystics.The book emphasizes robotic mon-strosities (Ninjabots, Fire Tiger LightInfantry Support Vehicles, UnderwaterCrab Walkers) and high-tech gizmos(Neural Disrupter Arrowheads, ParticleBeam Pistols, Exploding Shuriken).Designer Kevin Siembieda promises totackle oriental magic and mythology inanother 200-plus page supplement.That’ll bring the page count for Japanclose to 500. Yikes!

South America: 2 builds on the con-cepts introduced in Rifts World Book 6:South America, but it works just fine all byitself. Like Japan, SA: 2 features a bizarreblend of ancient history (the Inca civi-lization) and science-fiction craziness(the Arkhons, alien invaders who pilotmile-long space ships). C.J. Carella alsothrows in some psionic mummies, a raceof telekinetic giants, and a band oftransdimensional mercenaries called theMegaversal Legion. For the trigger-happy, Carella devotes about 60 pagesto Tri-Beam Energy Rifles and BackpackMortar Systems. That’s more weaponrythan I want, certainly more than a part-time RIFTS player like me will ever getaround to using. But the RIFTS fanaticsin my circle of acquaintances love noth-ing better than blowing stuff tosmithereens; SA: 2 should have themweeping with joy.

Both books are well-written, with

even the most arcane topics clearlyexplained. There are no indexes, but theQuick Find Tables make it a breeze tolocate key topics. The maps, however,are perfunctory at best, good for pin-pointing the relative locations of largeland masses but not much else. Japan’sfull-page Ley Lines map, for example,contains exactly 15 words of text — andthat’s counting the title.

Though fundamentally sound, thesetting descriptions in Japan could’veused more development. Siembieda hasa flair for capturing the sweep of historyand the nuances of culture. But hisattention seems to drift when he getsdown to the details of daily life. Take, forinstance, his handling of Kyoto, the cap-ital city of the New Empire. We’re toldhow the ravages of civil war werereduced by the formation of an eight-man council, each member given thepower to veto any proposal he feltwasn’t in the nation’s best interests.We’re told how the anti-technology doc-trine of the New Empire served to pre-serve agrarian traditions. We’re toldabout the Robotics Corporation of lchto[sic], the imperialistic schemes of theOtotmo [sic] Shogunate, and the spiritualsignificance of the Millennium Trees. Butit’s a tale told mostly at a distance; we’reshown plenty of panoramic views butnot many close-ups. A diary of a typicalcitizen’s routine, the floor plan of anaverage residence, and a street map ortwo would’ve made Japan easier forfirst-timers to get their bearings.

The diligent, however, will find plentyto keep them busy. Though Japan hasno adventures — a common frustrationin RIFTS books — Siembieda has loadedthe text with enticing concepts, burstingwith possibility. The H-Brand Corpora-tion maintains a private army of cyber-samurai and ninja crazies, poised toexterminate their competitors. Incidentsof industrial sabotage and assassinationare so common, they barely merit amention in the daily news. To satisfytheir insatiable lust for power, close to80% of the citizens have submitted tosome form of cybernetic enhancement,risking mutilation and insanity from illic-it procedures. It’s a tense, exciting set-ting, ripe for exploitation.

SA:2 has many of the same strengthsand weaknesses of Japan. On the plusside, Carella makes the pulse race withhis chilling descriptions of the City of theDead, the Imperial Capital of Cuzco, andother creepy locations. On the minusside, he tends to favor generalities over

112 MAY 1996

specifics, making the descriptions ofdubious value to all but the most deter-mined explorers. Another negative: noadventures. Another positive: a fascinat-ing magic system, based on line draw-ings. Yet another: fantastic adversaries,like the Pucara Mind Mage and theBlood Weeper. And yet another: terrificplayer characters (anyone for bloodlizard PCs?).

Evaluation: Both Japan and SouthAmerica:2 teem with rules and statistics,making them tough sledding for every-one but RIFTS veterans. If you’re a neo-phyte, you’ll likely discover that readinga RIFTS book is like walking into themiddle of a movie — make that a moviewith Sanskrit subtitles. Palladium couldprobably expand their customer base ifthey took a tip from Iron Crown andconfined more of the rules to the backof the books (or included some kind ofuniversal conversion tables to make iteasier to translate RIFTS into other gamesystems). But if you’re sold on the RIFTSsystem and you’re comfortable design-ing your own adventures, you’ll get akick out of these. Japan is more accessi-ble; South America: 2 is nuttier.

Editing: Sam ShirleyIllustrations: Arnie SwekelCover: Stephen King

GURPS GreeceGURPS* game supplement

128-page softcover bookSteve Jackson GamesDesign: Jon F. ZeiglerEditing: Susan PinsonneaultIllustrations: Jean Martin and

Shea RyanCover: Jeff Koke

$18

So you want to design your own fan-tasy setting, just like the pros, but youdon’t know where to begin? Nothing toit. All you have to do is choose a real-lifehistorical era, transcribe some relevantpassages from an encyclopedia (chang-ing the occasional sentence to avoid aplagiarism suit), throw in a few fairies,and — presto! Instant setting. Odds are,of course, it’ll be about as fun to read asthe tax code, but don’t feel bad. Themajority of pro-produced settings areawful, too.

So what distinguishes the superstarsfrom the snooze-fests? Let’s learn somelessons, courtesy of GURPS Greece andBeyond the Wall.

1. Begin with an interesting era. Theeras most suitable for fantasy gaming arerich with legend and rife with conflict.Stable governments and staid popula-tions make for dreary settings, which iswhy the number of sourcebooks aboutfeudal Japan outnumber those coveringcontemporary Canada. GURPS Greece,focusing on the Heroic Age of 1600-1150B.C. and the Classical Age from 800-323B.C., couldn’t have a stronger foundation;Achilles, Medusa, the Trojan War — whatmore could you want? Similarly, Beyondthe Wall draws on one of the mostvolatile periods of European history, therise of the savage Picts in northernBritain. With their militant outlook andbarbaric traditions, the Picts make perfectfoils for the courtly knights of Pendragon.(Incidentally, if you’re unfamiliar withPendragon, you’d do well to check it out.A brilliant recreation of the days of KingArthur, its one of the few RPGs that qual-ifies as a work of art.)

Beyond the Wall:Pictland & the North

Pendragon* game supplement128-page softcover book, one 11" x

15" map sheetChaosium, Inc. $19Design: Chris Lampard, Roderick

Robertson, Tom Rogan, Eric Rowe, andDave Williams

DRAGON #229 113

2. Follow a sensible format. BothGreece and Wall include the expectedmaterial — historical backgrounds,mythologies, key personalities — butpresent it in different ways. Greeceemploys the multi-tiered format pio-neered in previous GURPS sourcebooks,such as GURPS Vikings and GURPSMiddle Ages I. This format gives equalweight to history and legend, serving itup in a smorgasbord; referees canchoose what they like and ignore whatthey don’t. Thus, an adventure can be asaccurate as a textbook (employing theRealistic style, one of several optionsdetailed in the campaign chapter) or asoutrageous or as a B-movie (the Mythicstyle, where the gods take an activerole). Alternately, the referee can opt fora hybrid of reality and fantasy (theFantastic style, where magic exists butdoesn’t predominate). In contrast, Walloffers only one campaign option, closestin spirit to Greece’s Fantastic style. Spellsare real, gods tinker in human affairs,wizards are as common as they are inAD&D.

How do the formats stack up? Greeceoffers more choices, but the lack offocus means more work for the referee,while Wall is easier to use but locks thereferee into a single style. Further, withits liberal references to Caledonian poli-tics and the Celtic Christian church, Wallpresumes familiarity with the Pictish era;if you slept through history class, youmay find much of this baffling. Greece,on the other hand, is a great teacher,even those for who think ancient Greeceis something you scrub off a frying pan.

3. Don’t regurgitate. Uh... let me putthat more delicately: don’t parrot thestuff you got from the library. Largechunks of Greece — an account of thePeloponnesian War, the merits of anogliarchic government, the cultural lifeof the Hellenic society — read like notesfor a term paper. It’s interesting, but hey,I know how to use an encyclopedia, too,and could probably have found most ofthis myself. Designer Jon Zeiger doesbetter with the supernatural than withthe history, mixing well-chosen excerptsof Greek mythology with adroit role-playing tips. He explains how to portrayOlympian gods (as entities of limitedomnipotence with an obsessive interestin human affairs), points out the bestskills for a Courtesan player character(Sex Appeal, Carousing, and Fast-Talk),and suggests offbeat rewards for victori-ous warriors (arrows dipped in the bloodof the Lernaean Hydra). He also tells

how to stage an Athenian trial and pro-vides remarkably complete informationabout triremes, penteconters, and otherwar ships. But once you launch yourships, however, you won’t find manyplaces to explore. The overviews ofAthens and Sparta are too general to beof much use in a campaign.

Like Greece, Wall also falls short inthe locale department. Though ChapterSix lists dozens of locations, none ofthem receive more than a paragraph ofdescription. The entry for Achavanichreads: “A group of sixty standing stonesthat form a truncated oval open to thesouth-east. Beside the most northerlystone is a stone cyst.” That’s essentiallyit. Curious about the stone cyst? Toobad.

The illuminating peeks at Pict culturemake up for the absence of fully-devel-oped locales. We learn how the Pictsconstruct circular dwellings of peat andwood called wheelhouses, how adoles-cents celebrate maturity with a spiritualjourney to the Otherworld, and howthey forge bonds with the Samhladh,ghostly guardians who take the form ofreindeer, salmon, and blackbirds. Adultsmark themselves with ornate tattoosthat indicate status and serve as links tothe Samhladh. Time, represented by theMythic Spiral, is considered cyclicalrather than linear, where the past, pre-sent, and future exist simultaneously. It’sa smart, compelling take on an agerarely visited by game designers.

4. Give us something to do. In otherwords, give us some adventures, or atleast give us some guidelines and a fewspringboards. Greece comes up short.There are no complete scenarios. Theskeletal campaign outlines aren’t likelyto inspire many memorable adventures.I guess we’ll have to wait for GURPSGreece II. Beyond the Wall, though, is areferee’s dream. It includes a chaptercrammed with campaign tips, threeexcellent introductory adventures, and afull-length adventure titled “TheTreacherous Pict” that not only bringsthe sourcebook material to life, butstands as one of the best Pendragonscenarios to date.

Evaluation: Neither Greece nor Wall,alas, translate easily into other systems.AD&D gamers may find Greece a bitmore palatable, as a good half of thebook is relatively statistic-free; unfortu-nately, its the least interesting half (thehistorical summaries). Wall relies soheavily on the Pendragon rules that,short of a rewrite, I don’t see how it

could accommodate a different game.That said, GURPS Greece and Beyond theWall stand as solid examples of history-based role-playing, must-haves for seri-ous fans of GURPS and Pendragon. Andif you want to learn the basics of settingdesign, you’d be hard-pressed to findbetter blueprints. Class dismissed.

Short and sweetHam World, by N. Robin Crossby, Tom

Dalgliesh, and Edwin King with BradCarter, Brian Clemens, Rob Duff, MikeDwyer, John Frazer, Doug Gillanders,John Greer, Stephen Hinchcliffe, DavidKowan, Sharon MacLeod, SimonMatthews, Brad Murray, Gene Siegel, andGarry Steinhilber. Columbia Games, $25.

Speaking of great settings, here’s agolden oldie that’s been keeping fantasyfans entranced — and impoverished —since 1982. A generic environmentadaptable to any RPG, Harn World hasspawned dozens of supplements andmountains of commentary, making it ahobby unto itself. This revised entry-levelpackage consists of a 72-page Intro-ductory Book, an 80-page Master Index,and a gorgeous full-color poster map,sheathed in a plastic binder. Thelntroductory Book consists of three longessays devoted to Kethira (the Earth-likeplanet otherwise known as Harn World),the island of Harn (a barbaric land with ahandful of civilized settlements), and thecontinent of Lythia (Kethira’s largest landmass, home to a diverse range of cul-tures and races). The Master Index listsevery major locale, tribe, and oddity inKethira, complemented by evocativeillustrations and elegant maps. HarnWorld emphasizes culture and econom-ics at the expense of magic and mon-sters, making it less appealing to hack-’n’slashers than to veterans who taketheir games seriously. Unwieldy?Perhaps. To call Harn World ambitious islike calling the Grand Canyon a largehole. But if you’ve outgrown dungeoncrawls, you might be ready to jump in.

Information: Columbia Games, Box3457, Blaine, WA 98231.

Player’s Secrets of Roesone, by RichBaker. Player’s Secrets of Endier, byColin McComb. Player’s Secrets ofMedoere, by Bill Slavicsek. Player’sSecrets of Tuornen, by Dave Gross.Player’s Secrets of Ilien, by Kevin Melka.Player’s Secrets of Talinie, by AllenVarney. Player’s Secrets of Ariya, byAllen Varney. TSR, Inc., $7 each.

114 MAY 1996

You say you like the BIRTHRIGHT™ set-ting for AD&D, but you don’t knowwhich of the domain sourcebooks tobuy? That’s no surprise. They look alike,they follow the same format, and truthto tell, they share more similarities thandifferences. So I spent a day pouringover the first seven, including the twothat were touched on in DRAGON®Magazine issue #224, and here’s myreport. Roesone has a nice rural feel,clear goals, and an engaging environ-ment for warriors. Endier, one of thesmaller domains, emphasizes politics,diplomacy, and trade; it’s challengingbut manageable. With hostile neighborsand a shaky economy, the unstabletheocracy of Medoere looks like a toughgovernment to control over the longhaul. Tuornen seems shell-shocked fromcivil strife; I liked the knights, but theadministrative squabbles gave me aheadache. Swashbuckling pirates, mys-terious cults, and the Isle of Ghostsmake the theocratic Ariya an irresistiblesetting for magic-minded rulers. Despiteits wizards and prosperous farms, there’snothing much out of the ordinary inIlien, another small domain. Ecologicallyinclined players might go for Talinie,with its surplus of natural resources anddeforestation problems. The best forbeginners: Roesone, Endier, and Ariya.You’re welcome.

Planes of Conflict, by Dale Donovan,Colin McComb, and Monte Cook. TSR,Inc., $30.

This lavish PLANESCAPE™ setting pack-age completes the trilogy that beganwith the Planes of Chaos and Planes ofLaw boxes. And it’s a doozy. I wasimpressed by the graphics (again byDiTerlizzi, perhaps TSR’s finest illustra-tor), the posters (six in all, includingmaps of the City of the Star and theyugoloth Wasting Tower), and theadventures (four nail-biting extravagan-zas). But what really floored me were thenumber of ways to knock off PCs. If theLabyrinth of Fiery Doom or the WorldAsh of Yggdrasil doesn’t get ‘em, thedarkstrike aeserpent or the carnivorousvaath the probably will. Who’d havethought the neutral planes would turnout to be so dangerous?

Living Legends, by Diane Piron-Gelman, Chris Hartford, and BryanNystul. FASA Corporation, $10.

A team of Explorer Corps PCsattempts to sabotage a Clan SmokeJaguar Warship and escape in one piecein this action-packed adventure for the

Mechwarrior* game. Stunstick-totingguards complicate the team’s efforts, asdo a flock of alien dinosaurs that com-bine the nastiest characteristics of ptero-dactyls and velociraptors. It’s good,goofy fun, well-paced and easy to run.But there’s a catch. Before he gets start-ed, the referee is advised to investigatethe following Battletech* game products:BattleTech Compendium Rules of Warfare,BattleTech Map Set 4, Technical Readout3050, Technical Readout 3055, and theMechWarrior Companion. That’s a lot ofhomework.

Wizards and Rogues of the Realms,by William W. Conners. TSR, Inc., $15.

If your AD&D campaign could usesome new characters, welcome to cen-tral casting. This handy supplement pro-vides statistics, descriptions, and role-playing notes for wizards and roguesfrom every corner of the FORGOTTEN

REALMS® setting. Thus, we have therugged Dalelands wizards, the warmages of Cormyr, the crafty Sembianmerchant wizards, and we’re just topage 27. Some new spells would’vebeen nice. So would’ve a set of pregen-erated characters. But with such a gen-

erous number of archetypes — we’retalking close to three dozen characterkits — only a sourpuss would complain.

Illuminati: New World Order* gameBlank Cards. Steve Jackson Games, $2.

Tastefully understated, this setincludes striking illustrations of an Arcticsnowstorm, the Invisible Man, and thebank account of a card collector.

Rick Swan has designed and edited morethan 50 role-playing products, including theThe Complete Wizard’s, Handbook, TheComplete Ranger’s Handbook, TheComplete Paladin’s Handbook, and TheComplete Barbarian’s Handbook for TSR,Inc. You can write to him at 2620 30thStreet, Des Moines, IA 50370; enclose a self-addressed, stumped envelope if you’d like areply.

* indicates a product produced by a companyother than TSR, Inc. Most product names are trade-marks owned by the companies publishing thoseproducts. The use of the name of any product with-out mention of its trademark status should not beconstrued as a challenge to such status.

DRAGON #229 115

continued from page 120

has lapsed. But the Iicensor, Capcom,continues work on its Werewolf* com-puter game. (Contact: WWolfMail@aol.com)

Notes from the fieldAfter last month’s split between Hero

Games and its longtime publisher, IronCrown Enterprises, Hero has found anew home for its Champions* and HeroSystem* game lines. A new publisher,Gold Rush Games (Elk Grove, CA),already licensed to produce Hero adven-tures, will now produce sourcebooksand genre books too. (Contact: gol-drushg@aol.com; herogames@aol.com)

Steve Jackson Games (Austin, TX)planned to collect all the new GURPS*game rules introduced in festoons ofsupplements and release them as a 192-page update. It turns out that 192 pagesisn’t enough, so GURPS Compendium I:Character Creation (192 pages, $21.95)will appear in June, with a second vol-ume (combat, role-playing, and cam-paigns) scheduled for November.There’s still no planned release date for

continued from page 98

the In Nomine* game, and don’t evenask about the Hot Lead* game....(Contact: sjgames@io.com)

One more game designer breaks intofiction: Phil Masters (Kingdom ofChampions, GURPS Arabian Nights) got astory idea while researching the recentlypublished GURPS Places of Mystery, whichhe co-authored with Allison Brooks.Masters has just sold the resulting storyto the prestigious British science fictionmagazine Interzone.

ArrrghTwo errors from issue #225: The first

Castle Falkenstein* game-based novel,From Prussia With Love, is by JohnDeChancie, not George Alec Effinger.Robin D. Laws was credited as thedesigner of the Barsaive boxed set forFASA’s Earthdawn* RPG; Laws actuallywrote the Parlainth boxed set for thatgame.

Correcting and updating issue #227’sstory on White Wolfs layoffs: WW pres-ident Stephan Wieck says fewer than 15employees were laid off, and “manage-

ment absolutely did not spend severaldays after the announcement decidingwhich employees would be let go.[...W]ithin a couple hours after themeeting, everyone who was being letgo was notified. The entire process washandled in one day. To suggest thatJennifer Hartshorn or anyone else wassingled out during the layoffs is totallyinaccurate, and such false reports implymalice on the part of myself and WhiteWolfs management that is entirely con-trary to the sorrow we felt concerningthe layoffs.” WW’s financial position hasimproved considerably after record-breaking sales months in January andFebruary.

Allen Varney has written 15 roleplayingsupplements, including the Binsada, Ariya,and Talinie domain sourcebooks for theBIRTHRIGHT™ campaign setting. Send newsto tsrmags@aol.com.

* indicates a product produced by a companyother than TSR, Inc.

terrain for battle. Otherwise, scarce man-power was just being wasted on need-less sorties. All fortifications — includingcastles, forts, towers, and fortified cities— relied upon their strong walls to pro-tect defenders and tie up besiegers.

Castles allow a small force muchgreater power and should not be wasted.Indeed, fortifications were often usedoffensively in this way by siting them sothat a small force protected by strongwalls was placed to control enemy terri-tory (trade routes, crossings, pastures,etc.).

The point is that castles, howeveremployed, were ultimately defensivespaces. Jeffrey Paul’s article reflects thisperfectly for a fantasy setting.

Tim Eccles.Middlesex, England

In “Sage Advice” in issue #226, SkipWilliams says “Chaotic psionicists havenever been allowed on Athas (or any-where else for that matter...) at least not usplayer characters.... The chaotic psionicists

from The Will and the Way are anomalies;exactly how they managed to becomepsionicists and retain their chaotic align-ments is unrevealed.” (Emphasis mine)

If one is to construct a believable fan-tasy world, there must be an internallogic to support the structure. You can-not have the rules one way for one class(player characters) and one for another(non-player characters).

In the 20 years I have been playingthe D&D® and AD&D games, I havenoticed plenty of example of restrictionson player characters that are not appliedto non-player characters. The aboveexample is only the most recent. In afantasy setting, what logic there is can-not be overstressed.

The only solid rule of fantasy is con-sistency. If the rule applies to one, itapplies to all.

Gary StahlDearborn, MI

A note from the editor:We get many Ietters that we’d like to

print here in Forum.Unfortunately, many writers fail to pro-

vide an address on the letter, and someeven fail to sign the letter. Remember thatwe will not print letters sent anonymously orwithout an address; however, we will notprint your address unless you ask us to. Ifyou hope your comments may lead to cor-respondence with others, please rememberto tell us it is all right to print your fulladdress. We won’t print e-mail addresses,either.

Note that we will not publish personalattacks against authors, other letter writers,fictional characters, other companies, gameworlds, or the editors’ pets.

It is also important that letters be typedor neatly written. There are letters that havecome in that we think might have been bri-illiant epistolary excercises... but we justcouldn’t read them. Typing your letterincreases the chance that we will read it anduse it in Forum.

Thank you.

116 MAY 1996

New for May

Treasure TalesAn AD&D® accessoryby Loren Coleman

The NorthA FORGOTTEN REALMS ® campaign

expansionby sladeThis campaign expansion details one

Running out of ideas in your cam-paign? Treasure Tales contains 16 fun-filled adventure hooks to jump startyour game. Each hook is open-endedand can be easily tailored to fit anycampaign world.

$12.95 U.S./$16.95 CAN./£7.99 U.K.TSR Product No. 9518ISBN: 0-7869-03899

of the last great frontiers of Faerûn.Finally, the areas beyond Waterdeep aredescribed and their inhabitants fleshedout in full detail. The North is a savagewilderness just waiting to be conquered!

$25.00 U.S./$32.00 CAN./£15.99 U.K.TSR Product No.: 1142

ISBN: 0-7869-0391

RAVENLOFT®MONSTROUS COMPENDIUM®

Appendix I & IIA RAVENLOFT accessory

This new compendium includes allyour favorite horrors from the first twoRAVENLOFT MONSTROUS COMPENDIUM booksand introduces some new nasties aswell!

$20.00 U.S./$26.00 CAN./£11.99 U.K.TSR Product No.: 2162

ISBN: 0-7869-03929

WarA BIRTHRIGHT™ hardcover novelby Simon HawkeA sweeping epic of war and anarchy

as rivals vie for the throne of Anuire.$21.99 U.S./$27.99 CAN./£12.50 U.K.TSR Product No.: 3133ISBN: 0-7869-0495X

The Dragons at WarA DRAGONLANCE® anthologyEdited by Margaret Weis and Tracy

HickmanThe companion volume to The

Dragons of Krynn is a new collection ofstories by the saga’s finest talents.

$5.99 U.S./$6.99 CAN./£4.99 U.K.TSR Product No.: 8378ISBN: 0-7869-04917

Sword PlayA FORGOTTEN REALMS novelby Clayton EmoryDiscover the Arcane Age of Netheril,

the most powerful magical empire inthe history of the FORGOTTEN REALMS,when a bold barbarian becomes thepawn of quarreling archmages.

$5.99 U.S./$6.99 CAN./£4.99 U.K.TSR Product No.: 8569ISBN: 0-7869-04925

DRAGON #229 117

F.R.E.E. FallA TSR novelby Mel OdomAncient inventions team up with new

technologies to endanger the fate of theworld!

$5.99 U.S./$6.99 CAN./£4.99 U.K.TSR Product No.: 8255ISBN: 0-7869-04933

New for June

PLAYER�S OPTION™: Spells & MagicAn AD&D Rule Bookby Rich BakerIncluded in this 192-page addition to

the core rule books are new rules forspells and magic, new schools of magic,and brand-new spells for both priest andwizard players. A must for serious role-players!

ISBN: 0-7869-03945

$22.00 U.S./$28.00 CAN./£12.99 U.K.TSR Product No.: 2163

The Rjurik HighlandsA BIRTHRIGHT Campaign Expansionby Anthony PryorIn the rugged land of Rjurik, subter-

ranean orogs and marauding goblinswage constant war against humanfarms and towns. It’s the perfect placefor princes and kings of the BIRTHRIGHT

campaign.$20.00 U.S./$28.00 CAN./£14.99 U.K.TSR Product No.: 3121ISBN: 0-7869-03953

Halskapa Domain SourcebookA BIRTHRIGHT accessoryby Dan Wenger

ISBN: 0-7869-03961

This is the first Rjurik sourcebook forruling a domain in the lands of theseadvanced Viking-like people. Thesourcebook includes detailed informa-tion on geography, the political struc-ture, and adventure hooks.

$7.95 U.S./$10.00 CAN./£4.99 U.K.TSR Product No.: 3122

Baruk-Azhik Domain SourcebookA BIRTHRIGHT accessoryby Anne BrownBaruk-Azhik is a mountain land ruled

by dwarves, and no one enters thisdomain without fear of their power. Thissourcebook is packed with details andoffers new insight on Cerilia’s dwarvesand their unique culture.

$7.95 U.S./$10.00 CAN./£4.99 U.K.TSR Product No.: 3120ISBN: 0-7869-03767

UndermountainTrilogy I: The Lost Level

A FORGOTTEN REALMS

DUNGEON CRAWL™ adventureby Steven Schend

Another deadly complex has beendiscovered in the ruins of Under-mountain. The only entrance to thisstone fortress is guarded by beholders.Are your players brave enough andcrazy enough to take them on?

$7.95 U.S./$10.00 CAN./£4.99 U.K.TSR Product No.: 9519

ISBN: 0-7869-03996

118

Vilhon ReachA FORGOTTEN REALMS accessoryby Jim ButlerA long bay surrounded by feuding

city-states, the Vilhon Reach containstribes of Amazons and a waking dragonlurking in the shadows. It’s a wild andlawless land, ripe for conquering bythose who have the strength to keepwhat they take!

$15.95 U.S./$19.95 CAN./£9.99 U.K.TSR Product No.: 9520ISBN: 0-7869-04003

DRAGON DICE�Kicker Pack #3: Undead

Armies of undead make per-fect additions to the DRAGON DICE

game, and these horrifying creatureswill forever change the structure ofpower.

$6.95 U.S./$10.95 CAN./£4.99 U.K.TSR Product No.: 1503ISBN: 0-7869-04623

Murder in TarsisA DRAGONLANCE hard-

cover novelby John Maddox Roberts

A military consul in the armyof Ansalon is sent to quell anuprising and stumbles upon anconspiracy that will turn the tidesof combat but may risk hundredsof lives.

$18.99 U.S./$23.99 CAN./£10.99 U.K.

TSR Product No.: 8656ISBN: 0-7869-0500X

Abyssal WarriorsBLOOD WARS� Trilogy #2by J. Robert King

Aereas rescued his uncle but lostNina. Now they struggle on oppositesides of an escalating conflict whereNina heads an army of evil!

$5.99 U.S./$6.99 CAN./£4.99 U.K.TSR Product No.: 2617ISBN: 0-7869-05018

Silver ShadowsHarpers #13by Elaine CunninghamArilyn Moonblade embarks on a mis-

sion to save a band of forest elves andfinds that her quest endangers those she

loves. Will she risk everything to winfreedom for the forest elves?

$5.99 U.S./$6.99 CAN./£4.99 U.K.TSR Product No.: 8566ISBN: 0-7869-04984

The Gully DwarvesDRAGONLANCE Lost Histories, Vol. 5by Dan ParkinsonWhen the gully dwarves get mixed

up in the worst sort of trouble, theyemerge victorious over the slimiest ofvillains!

$5.99 U.S./$6.99 CAN./£4.99 U.K.TSR Product No.: 8373ISBN: 0-7869-04976

The Hag‘s ContractA BIRTHRIGHT novelby John BettancourtThis is the story of the legendary

pirate king Ulrich, who made an unholypact with the Abomination known asthe Hag to free his kingdom from thesavage orog and goblin tribes.

$5.99 U.S./$6.99 CAN./£4.99 U.K.TSR Product No.: 3114ISBN: 0-7869-04968

Unless otherwise noted:® designates registered trademarks

owned by TSR, Inc.™ designates trademarks owned by

TSR, Inc.©1996 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Coming Next month. . .

DRAGON® Magazine #23020th Anniversary Issue!Cover art by R.K. Post

Theme: Great Wyrms

• “Dragonslayers” by Wolfgang B a u r

• “Ecology of the Wyvern” bySpike Y. Jones

• A new regular feature by EdGreenwood: “Wyrms of the North.”

• “Orbs of Dragon Kind ” byRoger E. Moore

Plus all our regular suchas “Sage advice,” “Cons & Pros,”“Forum,” “Knights of the DinnerTable,” and “Floyd.”

$4.95 U.S./$5.95 CAN,/£2.95 U.K.TSR Product No. 8112-05

TSR AnnouncesNew Customer Service Lines

TSR, Inc.. proudly announces itsnew Consumer Services and StoreLocator phone lines. If you have a brief question about TSR's products,call: 1 (414) 248-2902. To find thestore nearest you that carries TSRproducts, call: 1 (800) 384-4TSR.

DUNGEON® Adventures #59Cover art by Tony Szczudlo

This issue's adventures include:

• Seeking Bloodsilver(Birthright™ Adventure; levels 2-4)

by Christopher Perkins

• Wedding Day(Light-hearted AD&D® Adventurelevels 1-2) by Paul Culotta

$4.95 U.S./$5.95 CAN./£1.95 U.K.TSR Product No. 8199-05

DRAGON #229 119

Interplay AD&D® computergame division

Interplay Productions (Irvine, CA),which acquired the AD&D FORGOTTEN

REALMS® and PLANESCAPE ™ computergame licenses from TSR last year, hasannounced its first product in the line. Areal-time strategy game set in theRealms, BLOOD & MAGIC™, designed byVas Nokhoudian and developed byTachyon Studios, is scheduled forrelease this summer in both PC andMacintosh versions.

Two later games are being designedin-house for release by year’s end.Descent to Undermountain uses theengine from Interplay’s bestsellingDescent game. The DRAGON DICE™ com-puter game is based on TSR’s tabletopdice game, and Interplay will handlecustomer support and rules questionsfor both computer and table versions.(World Wide Web: www.interplay.com)

Ars Magica*/Everway* soldThree months after cancelling its

role-playing game lines, Wizards of theCoast (Seattle, WA) announced the dis-position of two lines. The Ars Magicagame has gone to Atlas Games(Roseville, MN), publisher of the Overthe Edge* RPC and On the Edge* tradingcard game. Pagan Publishing (Seattle),producer of licensed Call of Cthulhu*game supplements and The UnspeakableOath magazine, will take WotC’sEverway game.

AtlasJohn Nephew started Atlas Games in

1990 to publish Ars Magica game sup-plements licensed by the game’s origi-nal publisher, Lion Rampant, where heonce worked. Nephew says the ArMacquisition is “personally thrilling” and“very positive for our bottom line.” Theacquisition “underlines our credibility asa game publisher in for the long haul.”

© 1996 Allen Varney

Nephew plans to “take a pretty firmguiding hand” in the (re)development ofArs Magica’s fourth edition, aiming for acleaner and tighter style, a return to thesecond edition’s “literate and literaryapproach,” removal of the third edition’sTrue Reason, and reduction of the pastemphasis on diabolism. Nephew isarranging extensive playtesting andhopes to release the new edition byyear’s end.

WotC had planned an ambitious for-mat for the fourth edition — four full-color volumes in a slipcase — but Atlas, asmall company of seven employees,plans a more traditional format, whichmakes reprinting of short runs practical.Support plans remain sketchy, butNephew believes a “fairly modest” quar-terly release schedule of substantialsourcebooks best serves the devotedArM audience. This game is blessed witha base of fans who are astoundingly lit-erate and reasonable,” he says; heintends to rely on their feedback, espe-cially via the Internet.

(Contact: atlasgames@aol.com.)

Pagan:Pagan Publishing’s John Tynes, who

worked at WotC as a role-playing editorand Dominia Continuity Coordinator(1994-95), says, “I enjoyed the [Everway]game a lot when I worked at WotC.”Heretofore essentially a basement oper-ation of four employees, Pagan is con-tracting with two freelancers to maintainthe Everway game line. Tynes expects tofinance the new hires through sales ofthe game’s Spherewalkers supplementarycards, printed and ready to ship sinceDecember. Pagan paid nothing for thecards and game line.

Pagan first intends to completeWotC’s projected support products, suchas the Spherewalkers Sourcebook. There-after, Pagan plans two types of Everwaygame support: scenarios and source-books aimed at the core gaming audi-

ence, and a line of free-standing “pecu-liar” worldbooks on offbeat fantasy sub-jects, intended for a broader audience.

Tynes continues to wear two hats —he also edits the Feng Shui* role-playinggame line for Daedalus Entertainment inSeattle. (Contact: paganpub@aol.com)

Vampire TV showPress deadlines last issue prevented

timely announcement of the new Foxnetwork TV series based on theVampire: The Masquerade* RPG pub-lished by White Wolf Game Studio(Atlanta). Titled The Kindred, the seriesbegan with a two-hour movie on April 2and is continuing on Wednesday nightsat 9 P.M. (EST), after the popular showBeverly Hills 90210. Both shows are pro-duced by legendary hitmaker AaronSpelling.

The Kindred focuses on the endlessintrigues of five of the game’s vampireClans (Brujah, Gangrel, Nosferatu,Toreador, Ventrue) in San Francisco.Vampire game designer Mark Rein-Hagen served as a consultant and wroteone of the eight episodes.

In other vampiric news, White Wolfshipped the Vampire: The Dark Ages*game in February, ahead of schedule, toexcellent response. Set in the MiddleAges, V:DA is the first of five historicalgames, to be published annually, basedon WW’s five modern-day Storytellergames. Other periods planned includethe Wild West (for the Werewolf* game),the Age of Exploration (Mage* game),and periods still undecided for theWraith* and Changeling* games. Eachgame includes appendices allowing playof the other Storyteller games in thatera, and each will have its own supportline.

White Wolf’s license for its fine intro-ductory RPG, the Street Fighter* game,

Continued on page 116

120 MAY 1996